Firefly
by Flyaway1
Summary: A new mutant comes into the team's lives. But is she more dangerous than she seems at first? Chapter 24 **FINAL CHAPTER** Not gonna tell you what's going to happen, you'll just have to read it for yourself. ;o)
1. First encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Mutant X (unfortunately). Only Rosalie is mine.  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I only recently got into Mutant X, so I've missed quite a few episodes. I could kick myself! What I've seen though, I've really enjoyed, so I decided to have a go at writing a fic. My first one, so please, plenty of reviewing. (Only, please be gentle!)  
  
  
  
  
  
First encounters  
  
Brennan jumped down from the warehouse window and scanned the area. He signalled to Shalimar that all was safe, and shortly watched Jesse and Emma phased through the door as Shal followed him through the window. Right, they were all in place, now all they had to do was find the New Mutant Adam had told them about - the thermal elemental. Adam had been adamant about getting to her before the GSA, but still, Brennan couldn't understand what could be so important about this new mutant that she could pose such a risk to them if she were discovered and recruited by Genomex.  
  
"Any guards around, Bren?" asked Emma as she closed on him.  
  
"Not any I could see from the window. I suggest we split up and search the rooms."  
  
"OK, I'll take this floor with Emma, you and Shal take the first floor."  
  
"We're on it Jesse," shouted Shal turning towards the stairs.  
  
All of a sudden, the air was filled with the sounds of breaking glass, people shouting and a strange crackling, zapping noise.  
  
"Upstairs," yelled Brennan as they raced up.  
  
As they came to the top of the stairs they saw a gaggle of GSA agents fighting, and in the centre of the commotion was a young girl, her eyes blazing nearly as much as the streams of fire she seemed to be shooting from her fingertips, and her long reddish-brown hair streaming behind her as she dodged the agents. One by one, she was shooting them down as they came in on her, but it was obvious that she was just one person in the middle of a gang of five or six agents, and she was slowly loosing the battle. As if with one thought, the Mutant X team plunged in. Shal took the nearest agent and rained blows on his body. Jesse went into the fray and shielded Emma as she blasted various agents with her mind.  
  
As Brennan began concentrating the electrical blasts in his hands, he noticed that the girl was slowly being forced into a small room off the main floor during the fight. He was moving towards her, aiming at the agents in order to blast them unconscious and get them out of her way, when she caught sight of him. Her eyes flashed for a minute and she sent out a blast of fire towards him. Taken aback, he dodged the blast and continued slamming the agents with electrical shots, but she carried on backing towards the door. With her back against the door, she shot a terrified look at Brennan and went through it, closing it behind her, but not before Bren managed to squeeze through.  
  
"What do you want from me?" she yelled at him, backing away.  
  
"We're here to help you," he replied, coming in closer to her.  
  
"That's what they all say," she spat. "Don't bother telling any more lies. You're all the same so don't waste your breath."  
  
Her eyes blazed as she raised her hands towards him and readied to fire another blast at him. He gathered the energy into his hands as he dodged her blasts. She was going to be a tough one, he thought. If only he could let her have a short electric blast, just enough to stun her, he could get her out of there, away from the Genomex agents and back to Sanctuary. Blast after blast of blue-white electric energy and orange fire crisscrossed through the room, both dodging one another's shots.  
  
She sprang from wall to wall, almost floating through the air as she attacked him. He could see the terror mixed with pure hatred in her eyes as she leapt away from him time after time. She can't possibly last much longer, he thought, not after fighting those agents too. But that lapse of concentration had exposed his chest, and he knew he'd made a mistake as he saw her raise both hands and blast him with a final spurt of energy. With no time to dodge, he felt a stream of pure energy hit him full on the chest as he crashed through the door and slammed on the floor, unconscious.  
  
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Back at Sanctuary  
  
Back at Sanctuary, Brennan was waking up to the sound of well-known voices.  
  
"Hi, you. How you doing?" Emma asked him tenderly.  
  
"I'm fine, is she OK? What's happened to her?"  
  
"She fled through the window before we could stop her," explained Emma. "I tried to slow her down, but it seems she was too fast for us all."  
  
"Adam, we have to know more before we go after her again. What do we know about her powers?" Bren asked.  
  
"From what I've been able to find on the database, she is a thermal elemental. She has the power to increase heat in any object to such an extent that it catches on fire," explained Adam.  
  
"She looked like she was floating too, how is that possible?" asked Bren, shifting up onto his elbows.  
  
"Floating? How do you mean?"  
  
"Well, as she leapt around and dodged me, it seemed as if she didn't touch the ground as often as normal."  
  
"She could be using the heat from her energy blasts to create thermals, or she may also be using the force of the blasts to propel her upwards."  
  
"So have you found where she is now?" He was a little surprised at his own vehemence, but he put it down to the fact that he wouldn't want to face her as part of a GSA force.  
  
"Emma has been trying to find some trace of her, and Jesse and I are checking the GSA computers for any information about her whilst Shal patrols the area."  
  
"I need to help," Brennan tried to get up quickly, but his head was spinning too badly.  
  
"I wouldn't try moving just yet, Brennan," came Adam. "You sustained quite a hit. She is deceptively powerful."  
  
"You can say that again. I can see why you were so eager to get to her first.  
  
"I think you'll find I'm usually right when it comes to these things," joked Adam. "I suggest you rest up for a bit and recover from that whilst we try to locate her whereabouts."  
  
"Adam, I've found something," Jesse called on the comlink. "I followed her paperwork and found a record of an address. I'll go have a look."  
  
"I'm going too," Brennan interjected.  
  
"You really should be staying in for this one, Brennan."  
  
"No, I know she floored me once, but I promise she won't do it again."  
  
"This isn't a matter of pride, you've got to bear the best interests of the team in mind."  
  
"And the best interests of the team involve us sticking together. She caught me unawares last time, she's unpredictable and we have to face together if we want to stand a chance of getting her back here safe and unharmed."  
  
Adam couldn't help but agree with him on that point. "OK, you win, but be careful out there," he admonished as he signalled to Emma for a shot to clear Brennan's head.  
  
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What's it like so far? Should I carry on? Hope I haven't disappointed all those people hoping to see Bren/Shal or Bren/Emma pairings. 


	2. Capture

I still don't own any of them, more's the pity! (Apart from Rosalie, that is.)  
  
Thanks for the reviews guys, much appreciated. Keep them coming!  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Her head was spinning badly as she climbed the stairs to her flat. Life was going from bad to worse and she didn't know how to cope with it. She had only been six when she found she could create heat with her hands. Only recently had she developed the ability to blast fire, and that had only gotten her into more trouble than the heat. She had lost her job, her parents still weren't talking to her and she hadn't seen her sister in over a year. She knew her sister had also recently developed a mutation - she was a telekinetic psionic - and she felt they should be in contact especially now to support and help each other through this.  
  
  
  
To top it all off, her latest boyfriend had also left her. What was this, her fifth in as many months? They never lasted, and they always left her feeling like more of a loser every time. Every man was a waste of time, she thought. They play with your emotions and then leave you with nothing but bruises. She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't as aware of her surroundings as much as usual. Ordinarily she would already have noticed the man following her round the block and up the stairs, and would already have had the energy ready at her fingertips when he grabbed her shoulder, but in her present state of mind, he caught her completely unprepared. She turned round, glaring and gathering the familiar energy surge to her fingers..  
  
".YOU!" she hissed.  
  
"I've already told you, we only want to help," Brennan reiterated. "Why won't you calm down and come quietly?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what you people would like, isn't it? Come quietly, hah, I'd like to see the day when that would happen." Her eyes blazed orange and her fingers surged as the fireblast shot out through her fingertips. He dodged nimbly.  
  
"Too slow! I know how you work now, you won't catch me defenceless this time."  
  
She sagged, seemingly drained of energy. "Fine I know when I've been defeated. What did you want me to do? I give in."  
  
Brennan dispersed the electricity he had created and lowered his hands, which had been ready to strike. "You'll be fine with us. If you just come with us, we'll,.."  
  
Suddenly an orange stream of energy blasted from her hands.  
  
"Never!" she screamed. "You'll have to take me back dead!  
  
Brennan crashed backwards down the flight of stairs as Emma came out from behind the corner and sent multiple mind blasts in her direction. Fire streaked across the corridor and the block was filled with the sound of the crackling energy blasts. Shalimar launched herself into the fight, but was hurled aside by a random streak of energy.  
  
Finding herself outnumbered three to one when Brennan got up, the elemental turned with a final fireball aimed towards the three of them and ran towards the fire escape. As she fled towards the window, a shape stepped into her path and grabbed her wrists. Jesse massed and wrapped his arms round her waist, pinning her arms to her side.  
  
"Don't fight it, you won't beat me, and you can't get those fireballs out when your hands are pointing towards yourself," he suggested calmly. She started crying in fury and humiliation.  
  
"Bastards!" she spat. "Let me go!"  
  
"You'll feel a lot better if you just trust us," Emma explained. "Sorry about this." Then everything went black as Emma blasted her mind.  
  
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Tears were rolling down her cheeks, she was aware of that, and of a rushing noise in her ears, but there was a blanket of blackness surrounding her and she couldn't fight her way out of it. On the edge of her hearing she heard a whisper, very low, soothing,. she strained to hear.  
  
".. Rosalie.." The rushing noise began to die away and the voice became louder, a reassuring female voice. ". Rosalie, can you hear me?" She tried moving her lips to form an answer.  
  
The voice spoke again, "You're OK. You're safe, don't try to speak." She strained to open her eyes. Brilliant white light shone through the crack between her eyelids. A figure hovered over her, blocking out the light.  
  
"Where am I? Why am I being restrained?"  
  
"You're at the Mutant X base, I'm Emma. Sorry about the restraints but we had to stop you from hurting yourself or my team mates."  
  
"Let me go," she struggled weakly.  
  
"Adam wants to speak to you first. He'll be along in a minute."  
  
"I see you've woken up at last. Maybe Emma was a bit too enthusiastic with you," said Adam with a smile as he entered the room.  
  
"What do you guys want with me?"  
  
"We only want to keep you safe. If the GSA had caught you before we had a chance to get to you, I can only guess what they would have put you through. They only want you for your destructive power, to bring down anyone who stands in their way. I understand you're wary of us, but you've got to trust someone at some point."  
  
"Why you? How do I know that you're not after me for the same reason as the GSA?"  
  
"You're going to have to take my word for that. We rescue new mutants like yourself every day. We train them and help them control their powers. We can help you too if you let us." Rosalie didn't say a word, kept looking straight ahead. "I know you're looking for your sister, you mentioned her when you were unconscious. We can help you find her if you want us to."  
  
Rosalie let her curiosity get the better of her. "Misha? But I haven't seen her since I was eleven."  
  
"I know, but since she's a mutant too, we stand a good chance of finding her. Let me help you Rosalie. Give us a chance. If you still don't want to stay after a week, I'll have to accept that, but at least try us out." Rosalie thought about if for a few seconds, and came to a decision.  
  
"OK, I'll stay for a couple of days. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours."  
  
"That suits me fine," replied Adam.  
  
"One condition though," continued Rosalie. "If you don't turn up anything on Misha, I'm off to find her myself."  
  
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Well, there's the next chapter. Let me know if I'm going wrong and I'll try to put it right. Have I included too many plot threads too soon? I just figured Rosalie needed something important to convince her to stay. In any case, I have big plans for Misha for later too. 


	3. Training

Disclaimer: Nope, they're still not mine apart from Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's note: Thanks to my one reviewer for taking the time out to let me know how chapter 2 was. Any chance of a couple more reviews before the next chapter? Pretty please with sprinkles on??  
  
  
  
Training  
  
Adam had insisted Rosalie start training with the others if she was going to help find her sister with them. First up was Shalimar with hand-to- hand combat.  
  
"Remember, no using your powers. We want to make sure you can rely on your own strength and fighting abilities as well as your powers," warned Shal.  
  
She nodded mutely, and took a defensive stance. What she didn't want to tell Shalimar was that she had already had training, but she didn't want to give the feral any unnecessary information. The more she could use against her to catch her off guard, the better.  
  
Shalimar struck the first few blows, which Rosalie deflected. Damn, Shalimar was better than Rosalie had thought. The next volley of blows was also deflected as she struggled to keep up with the feral's powerful strikes. She struck out with some of her own moves, but nothing seemed to unsettle Shalimar. Try as she might, fighting as hard as she knew, Shal was a strong fighter, and Rosalie could feel herself going under, being beaten. The more flustered she got, the more Shal came back at her with different moves. Before she knew it, the familiar surge was shooting through her, and all of a sudden, the feral was thrown against the wall by a blast of fire.  
  
"I thought we'd agreed no powers?" Shal admonished, picking herself up. "But if you want to fight dirty."  
  
Blows rained on her as Shal used her quick instincts and agility without holding back. Anger flowed through her as she summoned energy to her fingertips. She held up both hands as she blasted the figure flying towards her. Shalimar dodged the streaks as she changed tactics and launched a new attack on the girl. Rosalie rolled out of the way, and as desperation kicked in, she spread her arms and created a wall of flames. She stood there, arms apart, fingers outstretched, looking in wonder at the fire separating her from the feral. How had she done that? Shalimar stopped in her tracks and stared at the fire, fear evident in her eyes.  
  
"Fine, OK, you win this time. But that's a dirty trick to pull on a feral," she spat as she turned on her heel. "One of the others can deal with you now," she called as she stalked away.  
  
Rosalie extinguished the flames as she lowered her hands, noticing that they were shaking. Her powers were taking on new facets every day. Maybe she had better stay on here, see what they could do about training her. The problem with Shalimar's training was that it had unsettled her, taken her by surprise how good the feral was, and it had prompted her to use her powers without thinking. If only I could control that urge, I'm know I could learn a lot from her. She stopped. had she just felt admiration towards her? Could she actually make a go at fitting in here and learning to hone her powers? She was beginning to think maybe there WERE people who would understand her, and just maybe, they were here in Sanctuary.  
  
After a long session with Emma, giving information about her background and the facts about Misha's disappearance, and apologising to Shalimar, it was decided that Brennan and Jesse would take her on next. She wasn't too happy at having to meet her fellow elemental. There was something in the way he had looked at her that had made her uneasy around him. She felt her hackles rise as he came into the room. Are you sure I'm not part feral, Adam, she thought, amused at her reaction.  
  
"Adam has found that our mutations are very similar," explained Brennan, "So he thought I should be the one to teach you to control the bursts." He wasn't too happy at having to be the one to do this, but Adam had a point, as he usually did. Well, better make a start."Do you want to have a go at sparring? Jesse will watch and then we can tell you where you're going wrong."  
  
"That was your first mistake, big shot," replied Rosalie. "Let me remind you of the number of times I've kicked your ass. Maybe I could tell you where YOU'RE going wrong."  
  
She could feel the familiar heat rise through her and surge down her arms. Her fingers tingled impatiently. What was it about him that made her want to blast him to kingdom come? Her eyes blazed and cheeks flushed, as she felt invigorated by the thought of beating him once again.  
  
Brennan wasn't feeling too different to the wild girl in front of him. She was making his skin itch, making him impatient to bring the girl down. She wasn't safe as long as she couldn't control her emotions, and soon they were both aiming streaks of energy across the room to each other. It took all his concentration to keep dodging her aim, but if he watched closely, he could actually see her using blasts to keep her airborne. First mistake - watching her technique too closely - and he was soon watching her from flat on his back.  
  
"How do you do that?" he asked.  
  
"It's called being good at it. Want some pointers honey?" she hissed at him, hair flying round her face.  
  
Against Adam's advice, and his better judgement, he leapt up, anger surging through him like a drug. Not a good move as it was compromising his judgement, and she floored him time after time. He was getting increasingly annoyed by the fact that, even without training, she could still beat the crap out of him. First Shalimar, now Rosalie, this was too much. He gathered the electricity into his hands, and fired with his left. She danced around him.  
  
"Too slow!" she cried as he missed yet again. Before she had a chance to move away or realise what he was up to, he immediately fired with his right hand, catching her on her left shoulder. She yelled out as the pain spread down her arm. She glared at him from the floor as he approached her with a grin.  
  
"Like to change your attitude now miss?" he drawled. He should have noticed the rage in her eyes as, quick as a flash, her hands came up, orange light filled his immediate vision, and he was blasted back against the opposite wall yet again. Would he ever learn not to let his guard down? He opened his eyes to see her standing over him with hands outstretched, her emotions having taken control of her, and her fingertips burning as the energy accumulated. On the edge of his vision he saw Jesse darting towards them.  
  
"Rosalie, STOP!" Jesse yelled. Rosalie couldn't hear him through the blaze in her mind. "ROSALIE!" Brennan knew he didn't have time to blast her back in self-defence. The orange light filled his vision, as the energy left her hands.  
  
As the energy was dissipated by the shield created by Jesse's body, she felt the energy drain from her body, and an icy feeling run through her veins. She dropped to the floor, exhausted by the sparring. Brennan stood up, picked up her limp body and looked at her tired face.  
  
"Maybe we should take a break."  
  
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OK, so this chapter has been a little slow, but it was basically to integrate Rosalie into the group. It should get more interesting in the next chapter, but as I said, review, review, review! Otherwise I won't know how I'm doing. 


	4. Out of control

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it again? Fine, they're not mine, OK?  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for the great reviews. By the way, *.* represents people's thoughts.  
  
Chapter 4: Out of control.  
  
Brennan carried her to her room and laid her on the bed. Without a word, he pulled the blanket over her icy body and closed the door behind him as he left. She didn't know what to do about this situation. She was obviously dangerous to be around. If it hadn't been for Jesse, Brennan would have been dead. *I'm not strong enough to control the force of the energy*, she thought. *These people have taken me in, and I'm going to end up killing them. I can't carry on like this. I get on fine with Shal now that I've apologised, I'm wary of Jesse, but he's harmless, and no one can dislike Emma. It's Brennan. He makes my skin crawl, I can't stand being around him, and that comes out when I fight him. I'm going to end up killing him unless I leave.*  
  
She could admit that she wasn't comfortable around Bren, but she wasn't willing to be the cause of his demise. After all, the rest of the team was fond of him and she didn't want to hurt them. There was only one conclusion that she could come to. she had to leave. *Yes,* she thought determinedly, *that's the only choice I've got.*  
  
Brennan and Jesse walked into the lab where Adam was working at the computer.  
  
"She's a live wire, and completely out of control, Adam," said Jesse. Adam looked up from his work.  
  
"What happened?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"She nearly hit Bren with a lethal dose of energy."  
  
"She's too fast for any of us," explained Brennan. "She had me on the floor before either of us could stop her. But I don't think that's the greatest of our worries. She's got problems. I don't know what it is, but her anger gets the better of her and she can't stop herself."  
  
"I know. She's had a difficult time of it," explained Adam. "It's up to us to help her control it."  
  
"I've tried," argued Brennan. "I'm telling you, she's out of control, Adam. Isn't there anything you can do to her to calm her down?"  
  
"The same thing happened when Shalimar faced her, but from what I hear, she sorely regretted it. With Emma too, they seem to be getting along fine."  
  
"I've never had a problem with her," added Jesse.  
  
"Maybe it's me then," mused Brennan. "She gets under my skin too, annoys the hell out of me."  
  
"You're just both going to have to make an effort to get along. I can't have you two killing each other whenever you train together." Adam paused; "I may be able to give you two an opportunity for reconciliation. I've found a last registered address for her sister, Misha. You can go along and tell her the good news. I only hope we're not celebrating prematurely about this."  
  
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Brennan strode through the corridors, deep in thought. Why did he feel to strongly about Rosalie? Every time he saw her, he felt a surge through his body, as if he wanted to blast something to smithereens. He couldn't understand this. Maybe this was the way she felt too. Maybe she was partly telempahic as well.  
  
As he rounded the corner to her room, he heard a muffled noise coming from behind her door. He opened the door carefully, pushed it open, and came face to face with a mass of reddish-brown hair surrounding a face and two large dark pools of worry, a backpack slung on her shoulder.  
  
"Rosalie, where are you going?" he asked her. She froze, startled.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Brennan felt the familiar tingling surge. "I asked first," he replied.  
  
"I can't stay, so don't try to stop me."  
  
"Come on, don't be rash. You know we can help you."  
  
"Oh, yeah? And is that why I nearly killed you this morning? A great help YOU were."  
  
"We're just starting, I know Adam and Emma have ways to help control your emotional reaction."  
  
"What do you know about my emotional reaction?" she spat viciously, hatred in her eyes. "You guys know nothing about me, you can't help someone like me. No one can. Now get out of my way."  
  
She said, standing her ground. Her eyes were speaking volumes about what she was thinking.*You wanna play chicken with me? Lets see who gets out of the way first!* The backpack slid off her shoulder and her fingers stretched. Brennan could hear the crackling of pent up energy.  
  
Brennan tried a different tactic. "Adam's found something on your sister." The energy dissipated as fast as it had been gathered, the blaze in her eyes died and her shoulders dropped.  
  
"Misha? Where is she?"  
  
"He's found a possible address for her. We could be onto something. You might as well stay, we could be of some use to you after all," he said sarcastically. He paused and looked closely at her. She seemed drained of energy, as if someone had cut her strings and for the first time, she looked truly vulnerable to him.  
  
"What are we waiting for?" she said quickly, and turned to go past him out of the door. He held out a hand to catch her arm.  
  
"Will you stay?" he asked gently. They both looked down at his hand. He could feel a cracking, tingling feeling at the point where his skin touched hers. He knew she could feel it too. He pulled his hand away. "Please?"  
  
She stared into his eyes. "Maybe a little longer."  
  
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The team trooped into the lab, tired from their latest confrontation.  
  
"No sign of Misha, Adam," reported Jesse. "But we ran into a delightful group of GSA agents."  
  
"It's not a joking matter," interrupted Rosalie. "Why wasn't she there?" she shot at Adam.  
  
"I'm afraid there's been a bit of bad news. Rosalie, I think maybe we should have a chat alone."  
  
Brennan exchanged a worried glance at Emma. Bad news? What could that mean? Emma could sense Rosalie's worry as she ushered the others out of the lab. "I'll talk to you all later," assured Adam.  
  
"What is it?" Rosalie asked with trepidation once the others were out.  
  
"I'm afraid that while you were all out, I found evidence confirming your sister's whereabouts."  
  
Rosalie took a deep breath. "Where is she?" she whispered.  
  
Adam paused, wondering how to best defuse the situation. "At Genomex." Rosalie watched Adam as he explained. "It appears our worst fears have been confirmed. She has already been recruited by Genomex and is working for them now. There was evidence of a telekinetic psionic female involved in an attack on a gang of new mutants. I'm sorry, Rosalie, but it seems she's working against us, and you, now."  
  
Emotions swirled within her head as she tried to understand what Adam was telling her. She shut her eyes, this could not be happening. She could feel the familiar emotions rising. This could not be happening. Her body was gripped by the energy surging through every part of her. She had never attacked someone for no reason. How could her sister be doing this? How had Genomex brainwashed her? She had to hold on to normality, she mustn't lose control again. The fire raged within her as she felt her last barriers crumbling away rapidly.  
  
"No!" She felt as if her body was being ripped apart by the energy surge, as flames began shooting in all directions.  
  
"Emma," Adam yelled as she came running in. She had felt the emotional turmoil going through Rosalie's head and saw instantly that the situation was too dangerous and volatile to talk to the girl.  
  
"Sorry Rosalie," she whispered, as a bolt of mental energy shot through the air and Rosalie crashed to the floor.  
  
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I need some advice, guys. Should I make Emma and Jesse a couple or Shalimar and Jesse? All ideas/opinions welcomed with open arms! 


	5. Sparks fly

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them except Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's note: Thanks for the reviews guys. This chapter's come a bit sooner than usual probably because I was on a roll, and the reviews spurred me on. I'll have to keep considering the pairings cos I'm not completely decided yet.  
  
Chapter 5: Sparks fly  
  
As she woke up, she saw Emma's worried face leaning over her.  
  
"Are you OK?" Emma whispered. "Sorry I had to do that again, but..."  
  
"It's OK," Rosalie interrupted. "I know why you did it. I'm far too dangerous to stay around here. You have my word that I'll leave as soon as I can get my stuff together."  
  
"We don't want you to go, Rosa," Emma insisted. "I can help you with your control. It was a mistake to ask Brennan to try that, his control isn't exactly the best either," she smiled.  
  
A tear rolled down Rosa's cheek. "Why would any of you want me around? I'm destructive, out of control and a liability. The story of my life."  
  
"What can I say? We seem to have taken a liking to you. Besides, Adam believes everyone can be saved. All I need you to do is agree to give it a go."  
  
Rosalie looked at her gentle face. How could she turn down people who were standing by her time and again, even after she's nearly killed two of the team?  
  
"OK," she whispered.  
  
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A number of weeks passed, and Rosalie was getting on well with her new training. This consisted of Emma, her friendly telempath, helping her sort out and work through all the emotions she had been coping with on her own, the ones making her flip out and hurt people unintentionally. She had sorted out her volatile temper to a manageable level, and was now able to train alongside Shal and Jesse without any unwanted sparks flying from her fingers. She thoroughly enjoyed these training sessions as it also helped her work out her anger through physical exertion, and although she was nowhere near as quick and agile as Shal, she could now give Jesse a run for his money.  
  
"So you ended up sitting on Jesse's chest?" asked Emma in wonderment.  
  
"Yeah, it was fun!" replied Rosa. "It's getting easier and easier to beat Jesse without powers."  
  
"What about your powers, how are you getting on with them? Any more control over the force of the burst?"  
  
"I try, but I can't seem to get the hang of it, Em. I don't even think about it, it just happens, and before I know it, Brennan's on his back again."  
  
"How are your sessions with Brennan coming along?"  
  
"Not good. All the techniques you explain go flying out of my head when I face him."  
  
"What happens?"  
  
"I don't know. I feel hot and bothered, my skin tingles, my fingertips ache, and before I know it, they're glowing and ready to fire. He seems just as uncomfortable around me as I am around him too. There's something about him that makes me want to blast him, and he knows it. He unsettles me. I think he does it on purpose."  
  
"That doesn't sound like Brennan," mused Emma. "Well, OK, it does," she corrected herself, "but only with people he knows well. He wouldn't do that to someone so obviously irritated by him. Especially as you could so easily kill him without meaning to."  
  
"Then there's the sparks," Rosa continued. "This is so corny, but every time we touch, it's like he's burning me. A bit like static"  
  
"That's odd. Have you talked to Adam about this?"  
  
&&&  
  
"Sparks?" asked Adam.  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I know she doesn't like me, but sparks? How does she do that? And is it dangerous?" asked Brennan.  
  
"I wouldn't have thought it was dangerous," explained Adam, "probably a side effect from the fact that your mutations are extremely similar. It's also strange that no one's complained about anything similar concerning her energy. She doesn't spend as much time with you as she does with the others."  
  
"That's why it's so strange." Brennan looked concerned.  
  
"Is there anything else about her that's out of the ordinary?"  
  
"Where do I begin," started Brennan. "Everything. The way the flames appear without her summoning them, the way she floats around whilst we're sparring, the way her emotions seem to be on a roller coaster." His voice became softer. "The way she looks at me with such hatred in her eyes, her faces changes when she sees me."  
  
"Remember she's having a hard time coming to terms with her sister's defection to Genomex."  
  
"I know, but it's only me she's got the problem with. That hasn't got anything to do with where her sister's loyalties lie."  
  
"If I remember correctly, she's also had several problems in her relationships with men."  
  
Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Rosalie?" His curiosity got the better of him. "What sort of problems?"  
  
"From what I can gather, her mutation became what it is today only recently. According to my records, she had previously only been able to create warmth. The first time her fire-shooting mutation became apparent was after a particularly physical argument with her then partner."  
  
"Physical?" Brennan was shocked.  
  
"It appears he was a large, strong and dangerously violent man. He hit her regularly, until one day, she found a new way to hit back. These mutations usually manifest themselves at times of high emotional stress, so this wouldn't be out of the ordinary."  
  
Brennan was still stunned. "That would explain so much," he eventually said. "Explains why she hates me, but why not Jesse?"  
  
"You're taller, physically bigger and more imposing. And maybe there's something about you that specifically reminds her more of her past than Jesse." Brennan was silent. "Don't let this get to you, Brennan. She'll have to come to terms with it in her own way," reassured Adam. "In the meantime, give her space, and rest assured that the sparks aren't dangerous."  
  
The computer bleeped urgently, and Adam turned his full attention to it as Brennan turned to leave.  
  
"Hang on, Brennan. Looks like we have a problem. An attack on some new mutants in the centre of town. Take the team and see what you can do."  
  
"I'm on it," called Brennan as he ran out of the lab.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
This was the first time Rosalie had been on a team mission, and she was excited and a bit nervous about it. She needed to show them that their training had been worthwhile, and that she could control herself better than before. She owed it to them.  
  
"OK, guys, we're approaching the area, so keep your wits about you," warned Brennan.  
  
It was an unnecessary warning since the sounds of a fight were all too audible. They split up into twos, Emma and Jesse, Shal and Rosalie, and Brennan went it alone, and rounded the corner. It was evident that the fight was coming to an end, as there were two figures being tied up by several GSA agents, and a third one still fighting, but losing.  
  
Brennan wasted no time and went forward, blasting several agents in his path. Emma and Jesse made their way towards the captives, hoping to free them, also fighting the agents in their way. Shal turned to Rosalie.  
  
"You OK?"  
  
"Yeah," Rosa nodded. "Doing great. let's go."  
  
She leapt into action, using all the techniques Shal herself had taught her, and engaged an agent in a fight as Shal did the same. Her mind was solely on the battle in question as she threw her fire bolts. A number of agents went down thanks to her blasts, and before she knew it, the fight was almost over and Brennan was behind her.  
  
"Jesse's got the new mutants, now let's get out of here!"  
  
"But there are still agents here," she protested.  
  
"We've got what we came for, now we leave," insisted Bren, and so with a last fireball in the agents' general direction, she turned to follow her teammates.  
  
"Not so fast!" came a female voice from behind them. Rosalie turned, recognising the voice.  
  
"Come on, leave them," insisted Shalimar, but Rosalie was glued to the spot. A woman stood in front of her, small and slim with dark cropped hair and dark piercing eyes.  
  
"Those mutants are ours!" the female agent continued.  
  
"Misha?" The agent froze. Her eyes flashed.  
  
"Rosa," she said. The two women were facing each other, neither moving a muscle. "We've been looking for you, Rosa."  
  
"Misha, what's happened to you?"  
  
"You're with Mutant X?" Misha spat. "Leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Mason, however, thinks you'd be a fine addition to our group. Come with me."  
  
She leaned over to take her sister's arm, but Rosa pulled away.  
  
"No, they've become my friends. They can help us both."  
  
"I don't need help! Not the help that Mutant X can give. I've been highly trained to kill, and Mason's given me a place on his team. We could use someone with your powers."  
  
"We? You've become a killer, Misha. This is not you."  
  
"This is the new me, and you'd better believe it," she snarled with a smirk. "So if you won't come with me, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to kill you too."  
  
Suddenly a crate flew up from the floor and came crashing towards her. Quick as a flash, Rosalie blasted it into splinters.  
  
"Misha, don't!" More crates few towards her and she blasted them out of existence too.  
  
"You can't stop them all forever, and I have all the time in the world big sis!"  
  
Rubbish cans and debris came towards her rapidly, and she could see out of the corner of her eye that Brennan was behind her preparing to send energy blasts of his own towards Misha.  
  
"No! Don't hurt her!" yelled Rosa, and that lapse of concentration was enough for a piece of debris to catch her on the side of her head. She felt the warm blood trickling down her temple at the same time as she felt the ice coldness running through her veins. It had started again, she couldn't control the energy accumulating. but it felt different this time. Icy cold, not red hot as it usually was.  
  
From the floor, she could see Brennan was struggling with Misha's missiles. He couldn't keep up with her much longer. She got up slowly, and before she could control it, cold white light erupted from her fingertips and was sent flying towards Misha.  
  
The last thing she heard was a scream from Misha, and Brennan crying out her name, before she passed out.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Hmmm, I think I'll leave you guessing as to what's happened, although the clues are there, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely obvious! I'm still open to suggestions on the pairings, so please keep reviewing. The score currently stands at Jesse/Emma 3, Jesse/Shal 4. I'm not promising that I'll stick to the majority, but good reasons for the pairings may sway me. Keep them coming! 


	6. Cold as ice

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Rosa and Misha are the only two in this story that belong to me.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Some of the reasons for pairings are great, thanks for all your help. All that remains now is for me to get around to working the relationship into the next chapter! (And no, I'm not giving anything away yet!) Reminder that *.* indicates thoughts.  
  
Chapter 6: Cold as ice.  
  
When she woke up, she saw Adam worriedly staring at the computer screen. There was no one else in the room.  
  
"Adam," she said weakly, her head still spinning from the knocks he had taken. "What's happened?"  
  
Adam turned round to look at her. "Did you know about the other aspect of your mutation?"  
  
Rosalie was confused. "Other aspect?" How much worse was this going to get?  
  
"Do you realise that instead of firing flames at your sister, you froze her?"  
  
Rosalie's blood turned cold. "Froze her?"  
  
"There was always the possibility that your thermal mutation would extend to draining heat as well as increasing heat, had you noticed anything before?"  
  
"No, nothing, ever. Adam, I wouldn't have kept that from you!"  
  
"No, I thought not." Adam returned to his computer screen, concerned about her.  
  
"How's my sister?" she asked, scared of the answer.  
  
"Brennan made the decision that you were his priority. Your encounter had alerted other agents as to who you were, and they were starting to regroup. He wanted to get you out of there before they took you too, and it looked like she was being taken back by the other agents."  
  
"How could I have done this to my own sister?" Rosalie thought out loud.  
  
"Your team mate was in danger. You saved Brennan from her. It's commendable, Rosalie. Your sister isn't the same person she used to be. You did the right thing, you couldn't save her from Eckhart."  
  
*I saved Brennan. From my sister. I saved Brennan? I didn't think about it, I just acted.* She got up. "I have to speak to Emma," she mumbled as she left.  
  
Emma was practicing her mind blasts on a couple of holograms when she saw Rosalie come into the dojo.  
  
"Are you OK, Rosa?" she asked, concern written on her face.  
  
"Have you heard?" she asked the telempath.  
  
"Yeah, Brennan told us. How did you do it?"  
  
"I have no idea. I've barely got the fireballs under control, how am I going to control this ice thing too?"  
  
"You know we'll all help you, you don't have to worry about that," Emma reassured her, putting her arms around her.  
  
"Emma, I hit my sister. I drained her body heat, how could I have done that? This means I'm as bad as she has become. "  
  
"No, you protected someone you cared for from the person your sister has become."  
  
*I care for Brennan?*  
  
"What if it happens again, but this time I freeze one of you?"  
  
"You haven't killed Misha, Rosa. You wont kill any of us, I'm certain about that. You can now control the fire enough for it not to hurt us, the ice will be the same."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" Rosa asked worriedly.  
  
"I know what you're capable of, remember?"  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Rosalie lay on her bed wondering whether Emma was right. She was a telempath, but could she really understand what happened to her when she loses control? She wasn't sure what to think.  
  
She hadn't turned up to the evening meal they usually ate together - she was too worried about the reaction from the others. Emma may have been more understanding, but she wouldn't blame Shal, Jesse, and mostly Brennan if they came to the conclusion that she was too dangerous to keep around.  
  
The sound of Brennan's voice kept on coming back to haunt her. The horror in his voice as he yelled her name. She closed her eyes. The memory of that horrific moment when she lost control was too vivid in her mind for any sleep to come to her.  
  
"Rosalie!... Rosalie!. Rosalie!." With each echo of his voice, the terror increased.  
  
"Rosalie."  
  
"Go away!" she yelled at the echo in her head.  
  
"Rosa, it's me, Bren." Her eyes snapped open. Was this what had happened to Misha? Was she going mad too?  
  
"Rosa, are you OK?" Brennan's voice came from the door. A crack of light shone into her darkened room as the door was gently pushed ajar.  
  
"Go away," she mumbled, burying her head in the pillows. She didn't want Brennan in here, torturing her further, reminding her what she'd done, telling her they didn't want her here any more. The door continued to creak, and then thankfully, clicked shut. She slumped on the pillow, relieved that he'd gone.  
  
"Rosa, talk to me." She jumped, feeling Brennan sit on her bed.  
  
"I said get lost."  
  
"I saw what happened out there. There's no point in shutting this out. I know how it feels to have new mutations creep up on you unawares." He touched her shoulder and felt the familiar tingle.  
  
"Don't touch me!" she screamed pulling herself away from him. "Don't you know how dangerous I am? I don't want to hurt anyone." She paused, "I don't want to hurt you," she murmured.  
  
"You wont hurt me, I can promise you that," he replied gently. "You saved me today, you're not going to hurt me now." He stroked her arm and she felt the sparks, reassuringly. *At least they're not ice chips*, Rosa thought. She was confused. Did this mean they all accepted her, even with her new mutation? She turned her face towards Brennan. Why was he being so reassuring to her?  
  
"Did Emma or Adam put you up to this?" she asked, dreading to hear the answer.  
  
He smiled, "They don't even know I'm here now," he replied. His hand continued stroking her arm with long, soothing motions. "I think you're being really brave during all this. You did well today out there."  
  
As she looked into his eyes, she couldn't fathom what he was thinking. She'd never seen that expression on anyone before. Forthright as she was, she asked him.  
  
"What are you thinking?" He seemed taken aback by her question and flushed.  
  
"This," he muttered as he leaned forwards and brought his face close to hers. She could smell the scent of his aftershave mingling with his own scent. His breath was warm on her cheek as he paused. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up to touch his lips, tentatively returning his kiss.  
  
After a while, he drew away, stood up and looked down at her. There was something like regret in his eyes, and then he turned and walked out of her room, leaving her alone and more confused than before. What did that look mean? She realised that she'd wanted to kiss him desperately, but she'd made a big mistake by giving in to her emotions again and letting it happen. Now how was she going to put this right?  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
So? Did you guess what had happened to Misha?? Well, at last I got Brennan and Rosalie together, but will it continue, or has Brennan had second thoughts? You can see what happens this time next week on this channel... Nah, I'll be back sooner than that! 


	7. Secrets revealed

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this apart from Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's Note: You finally get the first clue as to which pairing it's going to be!  
  
Chapter 7: Secrets revealed  
  
The next few days were proving difficult for Rosalie. She was determined put the memory of the kiss behind her, but it was getting more and more difficult to do that as days went on. She was thankful that she was being kept busy with all her training, and the team was being very supportive, helping her train with her new mutation, and finding out more about it.  
  
Every day she grew in confidence using her power, and she was beginning to find it easier to swap from fire to ice without having to think about it for hours, as she had originally had to. Shal and Jesse worked with her any hour of the day, and Emma was always on hand to give advice and train with her own mind blasts. The only noticeable absentee was Brennan. He seemed to be avoiding her, preferring to help her by spending time with Adam in the lab researching her mutation. It was probably better that way. She longed for a repeat of that night, but she knew that it would probably make life so much more difficult for both of them.  
  
Every night however, she tossed and turned, dreaming vividly and recreating what had happened that night. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up, or when she would be forced to spend time with Brennan. Eventually, that day arrived.  
  
"You wanted me, Adam?" Rosa asked as she walked into the lab alongside Emma. She tried not to turn away when she saw Bren working beside Adam.  
  
"Yes, Rosalie. I see you're developing a tight control on both your powers. I think it's about time you tried them out in a combat situation, don't you think?"  
  
"Well, I'd like to be completely sure I won't hurt anyone before I try anything like that," faltered Rosa.  
  
"Have a bit of faith in yourself. You have to bite the bullet at some point," he continued, "and Brennan is more than capable of looking after himself in this sort of situation."  
  
Rosa's heart leapt in dismay. "Brennan?" she asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice. Please not Brennan, she thought. Anyone but Brennan. I've managed to avoid him so successfully so far.  
  
"Well," mused Adam, thinking it over, "make that Brennan and Jesse. You'll probably feel better with a fail-safe there, and Jesse's proved himself capable of withstanding your blasts so far."  
  
Rosa nodded, she felt drained and nervous. She turned to go, and Emma hurried out after her, touching her arm.  
  
"You don't look so good, Rosa," she stated. "Something you want to tell me?"  
  
"No, no, I'm fine Em," she replied.  
  
Emma insisted, "Remember who you're talking to here. I picked up something from you earlier. What's going on?"  
  
"Maybe I'm a bit tired, but that's all," she said smiling, trying to allay her worries. Emma strode along with Rosa in silence, thinking.  
  
"It was when Adam suggested the combat simulation with Brennan. You worried about trying out the blasting in combat? Because you really shouldn't, you have excellent control over them."  
  
"I'm fine, Emma, leave it!" she snapped. Rosa stopped dead, "I'm sorry Em, I shouldn't have shouted at you, but I really would like to be left alone now."  
  
"I'll walk you back to your room," Emma suggested, with her arm round the girl's waist. As they came to her door, Emma looked up in amazement. "I know what it is! Stupid of me to not realise it earlier. you have feelings for Bren!"  
  
Rosa sagged, she almost felt relieved that someone had guessed her secret and she didn't have to hide it from everyone. "Please, Em, don't tell anyone. I don't want anybody to know."  
  
"Of course not, but why are you hiding it in the first place?" she asked as she entered Rosa's room.  
  
Rosalie sat down on the bed dejectedly. "The day I hit my sister with that ice blast, Brennan came into my room to see how I was doing, and we ended up kissing."  
  
"That's great!" Emma exclaimed delightedly. "So why are you so upset?"  
  
"That's the thing. He didn't stay long and he looked as if he'd regretted the whole thing. Since then, he hasn't even looked my way. What am I supposed to think from that?"  
  
"Things aren't always black and white with Brennan." Emma thought for a while. "Do you want something to come of it?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I thought so, but I'm not so sure any more. I'm so tired of picking the wrong guys. I keep on telling myself that the next time I'll choose a low-maintenance, easy-going guy, and I always get it wrong."  
  
"Brennan's not too far from that description, Rosa."  
  
"That may be true to the average female, but he sure as hell is giving me plenty to worry about these days. I don't want to go through another bad relationship so soon after the last one."  
  
"Well, you can't run away from him in such an enclosed space. The only thing I can suggest is that you put it behind you and try to get along as best you can with him. I know it's easier said than done, but I'm out of ideas that don't involve telling him how you feel."  
  
"No!"  
  
Emma smiled, "Believe me, I know how you feel. But after all, you have to work with him. He's the best one of us to train with. He'll understand all your problems because he's had most of them himself."  
  
Through her misery, Rosalie thought she heard a suggestion of something else in Emma's voice. "I may not be a telempath, but did you just say you know how I feel?"  
  
Emma blushed, "I shouldn't have said that. but since we're sharing feelings." she paused.  
  
"You can tell me, Em."  
  
"I know. Well, lets just say I've got a thing for blonds with muscles of steel."  
  
"Or any sort of texture?" Rosa asked with a small smile.  
  
"You guessed my secret. But before you ask, no, I'm not gonna tell him. It would be too awkward." Rosa kept quiet. "Well," continued Emma, "maybe when things have quietened down around here!" she giggled.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
So, how was that then? How much do you want me to carry on with this pairing? Any comments, ideas, disagreements, I want to hear about them, so please review! 


	8. The other side of the story

Disclaimer: Not mine, got it? Only Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's Note: Hmmm, mixed reviews on the pairings. Well, can't please everyone I suppose, but I do agree that I just can't see Shal with Jesse. She's too fiery and independent for his calm nature. But anyhow, on with the show..  
  
Chapter 8: The other side of the story  
  
The next day, after trying desperately to put off the sparring session with Bren indefinitely, Jesse convinced her it was time to get on with it. *After all, how bad can it be with Jesse there too?* she thought to herself as they walked together to the dojo. As she walked through the door, she saw Brennan standing at the other end, limbering up. She walked over to the centre of the dojo and stood there waiting for him.  
  
"Whenever you're ready," she called to him.  
  
Brennan walked up to her looking grumpy. "You sure you're ready for this?"  
  
Rosa answered with a streak of orange aimed at him. "Try me," she provoked him. They both took on a defensive stance.  
  
"Team, attack on one of the safe houses," came Adam's urgent voice over the comlink. All three of them stood up as Rosa exclaimed,  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"GSA are attacking us," explained Jesse.  
  
"But I thought they didn't know our whereabouts."  
  
"Could be a lucky guess, or we could be in deep trouble," said Brennan his mind on other matters. "Come on, let's get to the safe house and search the place. Rosalie, you stick to Jesse," he added as an afterthought.  
  
Brennan, Jesse and Rosa arrived at the safe house shortly before the others and Jess and Rosa went off to search in the opposite direction to Brennan. "Keep it quiet, yeah?" warned Jesse. "We don't want to give them advance warning of our presence."  
  
Rosa nodded in agreement. She felt her stomach knotting in fear. As usual, 'they' were threatening to leave her with no safe place to hide. There were always people after her, cutting off any source of comfort and safety she had been able to find. She was certain she was destined for a life of living in hiding, moving from place to place.  
  
Jesse crept silently into the different rooms, followed by Rosa. As she entered one, she heard a muffled sound. Silently she motioned to Jesse, "I'm going that way," in the direction of the noise. Jesse nodded and continued.  
  
All her senses were hyperaware as she crept towards the noise, but she prepared a fire bolt in her hands just in case she was caught unawares. Little did she realise that it would be no use in the situation she found herself in, for, as she went in, she came face to face with Misha. All the buried terror she had carried with her since their last encounter surfaced, and she heard Misha's voice as though through a blanket.  
  
"We meet again!" she laughed. Rosa mentally shook herself.  
  
"You always did have a heightened sense of the dramatic," she replied. "This time, though, I'm ready for you."  
  
"I could say the same, sis," replied Misha. "None of us had realised just how powerful you had become. Mutant X is no place for you, so unless you're going to come willingly, I'm just going to have to take you by force."  
  
"You said it, you have no idea how powerful I've become. You aren't any match for me, especially alone. What made you think you could take me by yourself?"  
  
"Oh, I had hoped you would come along without a fight, but if not. you forget, I'm your sister and I know all your weaknesses, darling," she drawled.  
  
"I'm not coming, willingly, nor by force," Rosalie stated quietly.  
  
Misha shrugged, "You're choice, sis."  
  
"Don't call me sis." Rosa hissed. "You're no sister of mine," and she shot a stream of white-hot energy towards her, barely missing her.  
  
Misha looked surprised. "I'm impressed, sis!" Immediately, she returned fire. The knives she kept at her waist flew up, directed by her mind, and spun towards Rosa.  
  
The noise had attracted the rest of the Mutant X team, and outside the door, she could hear Brennan shouting orders to Jesse. *Keep concentrating,* she thought to herself. *I must keep concentrating on blasting away the knives, but not hurting her badly. One small lapse of concentration and I could kill her.*  
  
At that point, Brennan rushed at the door and broke it down.  
  
"Rosa, are you OK?" he yelled over the crashes.  
  
"Yeah, just peachy thanks. Just go," she yelled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bren dodging objects and preparing an electrical surge.  
  
"I'm doing fine, I can cope with her, just leave us alone," she yelled again. As she took her eyes of Misha for a split second, she saw a fire stream hit her sister and she crashed to the floor. Panic flooded through Rosa's chest, and it felt like she couldn't breathe. She ran up to her prone sister.  
  
"Misha, are you OK? Damn, you see what you've done Brennan?" she screamed at her teammate.  
  
Brennan looked at the girls. "Is she all right?"  
  
"She might have been had you left her to me. Why don't you just leave us alone?"  
  
Suddenly, as if in slow motion, she saw Brennan raise his hand and fire a dose of electric energy towards her sister. She screamed as he ran up to her, grabbed her by her waist and ran off with her under his arm.  
  
"Emma, Shal, you two take care of the girl in there," he shouted at the two women. When he'd gotten her well away from Misha, he set her down.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, jerk?" shouted Rosa. Her eyes blazed orange and even her hair seemed to crackle with energy.  
  
"Control the energy, Rosa," Brennan warned.  
  
"Who the hell gave you the authority to do that?" she shouted even louder, flames crackling, escaping from her fingers.  
  
"I just saved you from being taken back to Genomex!" Brennan shouted back, angry at the fiery elemental in front of him.  
  
"How did you figure that one out, hot shot?" fired back Rosa.  
  
"She was faking, any balanced person would have been able to tell. I saw her open her eyes and aim at you. You were as good as dead."  
  
"You leave it to me to decide. It was your fault she went down in the first place. If you hadn't distracted me, I wouldn't have hit her."  
  
"You didn't hit her, goddamit. How do I get it into your stubborn head that she was faking it?"  
  
"Just leave me well alone in future. I can take care of myself!" she spat at him as she walked off.  
  
Brennan stood in the centre of the room. "You saved my life once. Let me repay the favour at least."  
  
"You already have," she said impatiently, without pausing.  
  
Brennan was mystified, "How?"  
  
Rosalie stopped dead. She had to finish the conversation now, or else he'd never let up. "Don't worry, there won't be any more intimate moments. I wont put you in that uncomfortable situation again," she retorted sarcastically as she stalked off.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Back at Sanctuary, after learning that Misha had managed to get away yet again, Brennan went in search of Emma. He figured that Emma probably knew Rosa best these days - she would be able to tell him what was going on inside her mind. He found her sparring with Jesse.  
  
"Hang on a minute, Bren," she called to him. "We're just about finishing." He leaned against the stairs as he watched two of his best friends fight it out. Emma was quite attractive really, he thought. He wondered why he'd never noticed it before. Not that he was attracted to her. She was pretty, but not his type. Now, Jesse was another matter. According to Jesse's track record, Emma was just his type. Brennan wondered why they had never got together. His musings were cut short as Emma ran up to him, wiping the beads of sweat off her forehead with a towel.  
  
"What's up Bren?" she asked.  
  
"You know Rosa quite well, don't you?"  
  
"Well, as well as anyone who could get through her tough exterior, I suppose," she replied thoughtfully. "Why? Is something wrong?" she asked as they walked towards the showers.  
  
"I keep on getting conflicting messages from her. To be honest, I don't know where I stand with her anymore. I was hoping you could help me in figuring her out."  
  
"I don't know how much I can tell you without compromising her trust, Bren. What did you want to know?"  
  
Brennan went pink. *I suppose I'm gonna have to tell her,* he thought to himself. "I, err. I kissed her the other day, and I'm not sure how she's taken it."  
  
Emma smiled to herself. "Really? What happened?"  
  
"I should never have put her in that position. I took advantage of her when she was vulnerable, and I regret it now."  
  
"Why do you regret it?"  
  
"I put her in a very difficult position. Since that happened, she hasn't been able to look me in the face. I just wish I could erase the whole episode from her memory."  
  
"What if she doesn't want it erased?"  
  
"How could she not want it erased, she doesn't like me, she wished she hadn't kissed me, and now she hates me more than before."  
  
"Brennan," said Emma turning to face him with a smile. "You should really leave the reading emotions to me, because you've just managed to get the whole situation completely wrong."  
  
Brennan stared into her face, trying to understand.  
  
"Let's just say you should have another try with her," said Emma, before giving him a peck on the cheek and going into the showers.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
I've decided to use this to practice my long-range hypnotist's act. You see that little button just below? Your finger's just itching to click it. You know you want to click on it and leave a review,... go on, click the "Go"! 


	9. It takes two

Disclaimer: They all belong to some lucky, lucky person who is unfortunately, not me. Only Rosalie and Misha are the product of my own overactive imagination.  
  
Author's Note: Wow, the hypnotist act really worked? I've impressed myself! Well erm, it's a long term hypnotism, (nodding furiously) yes, it works on all subsequent chapters too!  
  
Chapter 9: It takes two  
  
Rosa strolled into the dojo nervously. This was going to be her first proper sparring session with Brennan and Jesse, as the first one had been cut short by the attack on the safe house. If it was possible, she was more nervous than that first time. The first time she had Jesse to accompany her to the dojo, but this time she walked it alone. Brennan had told her to meet them there himself.  
  
As she walked through the door, she could see Brennan limbering up, but there was no sign of Jesse. Her heart jumped nervously.  
  
"No Jesse?" she asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Jesse couldn't make it," he replied. "But don't worry, I can take care of myself."  
  
*But can I?* she thought to herself. *I've got to be really careful today if Jesse's not going to be around to stop me going mental.*  
  
"Scared I'm going to hurt you?" he teased her.  
  
"Don't do that," she answered roughly. "You know what happens when you provoke me."  
  
"Come on then," he answered, "show me what you're made of."  
  
He struck a defensive pose as her fingers crackled yet again. She raised her eyes to him, and he saw the familiar orange blaze in them. She struck suddenly, sending a stream of flames across the dojo and into his path, barely missing him. He nimbly dodged the strike, and counterattacked with blasts of his own. Soon the dojo was alight with blue and orange flashes as the streaks of energy crisscrossed, barely missing each other.  
  
*Concentrate, concentrate,*she admonished herself. *One lapse of concentration and I'll lose control over the force of the energy. One false move and I'll hit him lethally.* She was careful to miss him by small distances every time. Fighting hard enough to stop him from hitting her, and keeping him off his guard, but not enough to allow herself to beat him hands down.  
  
She flitted from place to place with well-placed bursts of energy, neatly dodging his every strike. She was beginning to feel tired. If she'd allowed herself to truly fight him with all her power, she would have beaten him already and she wouldn't be so exhausted now. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. Her breathing came in short gasps and the perspiration was beginning to drip down her body. Her concentration was slowly slipping away, until she accidentally hit his shoulder and he hit the floor.  
  
"Brennan!" she cried, running towards him. Suddenly he was up on his feet and sending a blast of electric energy towards her. It hit her full on the chest and knocked the breath out of her body. She fell backwards onto the floor, gasping for air. The pain radiated through her body, and before she knew it, Brennan had flipped himself onto her, sitting on her stomach with his legs astride her. He pinned her hands above her head, keeping the fire out of his way.  
  
"You OK?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Can't breathe," she gasped. She could feel the prickling on her skin as he shifted his weight a little but didn't get off her. This was the moment she'd been dreading. He was in such close proximity to her, she didn't want to open her eyes and see him there.  
  
"Open your eyes," he commanded. "Speak to me, are you all right?"  
  
She slowly opened her eyes, trying not to look at his face. He leaned in towards her. She could feel his panting breath on her moist body.  
  
"Rosa," he whispered, before leaning in closer and meeting her lips. All rational thought fled from Rosa's mind as she accepted his kiss once again.  
  
"Brennan," she whispered, needing to hear her own voice, hoping it wouldn't shatter the dream.  
  
"Brennan, Rosalie," came a voice over the comlink. Brennan stopped dead. The spell had been broken.  
  
"You'd better reply," she whispered disappointed at the interruption. Had this made him come to his senses? Was he going to regret the whole episode again?  
  
"Here, Adam," he replied.  
  
"Can you both some to the lab if you've finished training?" came Adam's disembodied voice. "I may have an update on Misha."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"I think I may have some good news, Rosalie," said Adam as she and Bren walked into the lab. Adam did a double take, "You're looking very flushed. Don't push each other TOO hard just yet." Brennan and Rosalie blushed some more.  
  
"What sort of news, Adam?" asked Brennan, changing the subject.  
  
"It has come to my attention that Misha, among other new mutants, haven't joined Genomex through their own free will," explained Adam. Rosalie brightened up, could this mean her sister didn't know what she was doing? That she wasn't such a bad person after all?  
  
"So what's the situation as it stands, then?" continued Bren.  
  
"It appears that some new agents have been brainwashed into forgetting their principles and leaving their lives behind. This is what may have happened to Misha. I'm not even sure that this is the case with your sister, but we can give it a go. We might be able to revert her to her old state."  
  
"When do we leave?" interrupted Rosa.  
  
"Slow down, Rosa, we can't launch an attack just yet."  
  
"Why not? You guys know how to get into Genomex, and I know how to get to Misha."  
  
"That's not the way it works. We have to wait for them to make a move, and then we can go after them. We can't just walk into Genomex," explained Adam.  
  
"That's ridiculous," retorted Rosa. "Well, if you're not going to help me, I'll go alone," she said as she strode out of the lab.  
  
Brennan glanced at Adam. "Don't worry, I'll sort her out," he promised as he ran after her.  
  
By the time he'd caught up with her she had nearly reached her room.  
  
"Rosa, wait! Adam has a point, you know."  
  
"If you're not going to help me, leave me alone," she glared at him, striding on.  
  
"So what are you going to do? You don't know anything about Genomex, or their security systems," he asked, hurrying to keep up with her.  
  
"I'll find my own way around it."  
  
Brennan tried a different tactic. "You're just running away again. Why can't you make things easy on yourself and listen to someone else?"  
  
Rosalie stopped in her tracks. "I don't run away," she said in a low voice, her eyes glowing orange. "Look who's talking about running away from uncomfortable situations," she snorted. Brennan looked confused. "That day in my room," she explained. "What was it, a total of three seconds before you turned tail and ran out?"  
  
"That was different."  
  
"I don't know whether you're coming or going these days, Brennan." Brennan stared at her. She was gorgeous when her eyes glowed and her hair crackled with pent up energy. Dangerous, but beautiful. His eyes swept over her face, drinking in every aspect of her, her full lips, her large chocolate eyes, her perfect body.  
  
"Oh, for goodness sake," she sighed. "You still can't decide can you? Well forget it," and she turned away from him to go into her room. He put his hand out and swung her round to face him. Next thing she knew, they were kissing again, bodies so close, every part of her crackled with their energy.  
  
"This time I'm staying," he said in a low voice.  
  
"Oh yeah?" she intoned unbelievingly. "Prove it."  
  
He took her completely unawares as he swept her up into his arms and pushed her door open. He paused as he closed the door, then came towards her, hunger in his eyes. Against all odds, she was scared. She knew Brennan would never hurt her, but she was finding it so difficult to let go of her past.  
  
"What's the matter?" Brennan asked tenderly, seeing the fear in her eyes. She remained silent. "I'm not like the other men you dated, you know," he said quietly.  
  
"How did you know about that?" she asked him anxiously.  
  
"How do you think Adam found you? That yob reported you to the police after you tried to fry him for the first time. Luckily for all of us, we got to you before the GSA picked up the same report." Lucky for me, he thought silently. He lowered his head toward her and they kissed again. How long it had been that she'd dreamed of this, and now she was paralysed with fear. He sat back and looked at her.  
  
"What is it?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"I've waited for this for so long now. Since the first time I saw you fighting those agents in the warehouse," he whispered with a smile. "Let me enjoy the view."  
  
"You hardly knew me then."  
  
"But there was a spark, wouldn't you say?" They giggled, breaking the tension.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
She could feel the beating of his heart as she lay there, reassured by the feel of his strong arms enveloping her in his warmth. As he kissed the top of her head, she mumbled, "Don't leave."  
  
"I wasn't planning to," he reassured her, as they both dozed off.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Chapter 10 preview: They get Misha, and Rosalie gets the first hint of "Firefly". Yes, there was a point to my title! I know it's taken me a while to get to the actual point of the story, but I was having so much fun getting Brennan and Rosalie together that I got a little side tracked. The story really begins in earnest now. Expect plenty of action! (Probably going to get a little dark too.)  
  
Oh, and as usual, pleeeeeeease review! It keeps me going when I'm writing and also gets the new chapters up quicker. ( 


	10. Creation

Disclaimer: Rosalie and Misha are the only characters belonging to me. The others are mine only in my dreams.  
  
  
  
Chapter 10: Creation  
  
The rising sun shone through the crack in the curtains, leaving a sliver of light across the floor. Brennan opened his eyes sleepily and wondered for a second where he was. He could feel a soft breathing against his chest and saw a mass of reddish-brown curls in the crook of his arm. He smiled, remembering the night before.  
  
The sound of an alarm pierced the silence of the dawn, and a hand snaked out from under the covers and thumped the small clock beside the bed. He looked down.  
  
"Rosa," he whispered gently. No response. Surely if the alarm was set to go off, she had a reason to be getting up early. He whispered her name again. This time she stirred. She raised her head and looked at him.  
  
"Wha?" she asked sleepily as he kissed her forehead. Recognition clouded her features as she smiled at him and returned the kiss.  
  
"You're still here," she mumbled.  
  
"I said I'd stay, didn't you believe me?" She smiled as she kissed the tip of his nose and slid out of bed. "You abandoning me now?" he asked mock hurt. She turned to look at him half covered by the sheet, and steeled herself for his response.  
  
"I'm not going back on what I said yesterday," she told him as she slid into her denims. "I said I would go after my sister, and I've got to keep to that."  
  
"You're still going?" Brennan asked as he sat up in the bed. "You can't just leave now. You know it makes sense to listen to Adam. He's had a lot of experience with this sort of situation."  
  
Rosalie carried on, pulling her top over her head. "My gut's telling me to go to her. I can't ignore it."  
  
"I trust Adam with my life. Do you really think he can get this so wrong? Give him a while, he'll figure out how to get Misha out of there with minimum fuss and no one getting hurt."  
  
She paused. "I don't know, Bren."  
  
"You telling me your gut's never been wrong? At least talk to him about it."  
  
Adam's voice crackled over the comlink, "I'm calling a meeting this morning. Can you all be at the lab at 9am?"  
  
He looked intently at her. "Please, trust him."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
A little later in the lab, Emma was leafing through a magazine as she waited for the others. As Brennan and Rosalie walked in, she looked up and greeted them. Suddenly, she jerked her head up,  
  
"Rosa, Brennan, have you two finally...?"  
  
Rosalie blushed, "How did you...?"  
  
Brennan grinned at her. "You keep forgetting she probably knows what you're feeling before you do. Shame on you, Em, getting into her head without permission!"  
  
"It was you I got it from, Bren. And to be honest, honey, it was such a strong feeling that I couldn't keep it out of my head unless I made an extreme effort!" She winked at Rosa just as Shalimar made her way in.  
  
"What's up?" she asked, aware that she'd just missed something.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Rosa replied. She didn't mind the others finding out, but she wasn't keen on advertising her relationship to everyone before she'd had the chance to get used to it herself. Brennan's hand stroked Rosa's arm absent-mindedly and drew Shal's attention. Suddenly, Shal put two and two together.  
  
"Don't tell me you two have finally got it together?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Did everyone know about this before me?" asked Rosa, perplexed.  
  
"Sure honey, it was pretty damn obvious that Bren had the hots for someone, and after a while, it became kinda clear it was you," replied Shal with a grin. "Congrats, you guys!"  
  
Emma caught her attention just in time as Jesse and Adam came into the lab.  
  
"Hey bro!" called Jesse. "What happened to you last night?"  
  
Brennan creased his forehead, trying to think. "We had a date?"  
  
"You betcha! Cinema, Jlo's latest film. Hot chicks and cold beer, remember?"  
  
"Shit!" Brennan slapped his head. "It slipped my mind, I'm so sorry Jess."  
  
"So what were you up to? You weren't in your room either. Don't tell me you had a hot date instead? You should have gotten her to bring a friend, we could have made up a foursome. Come to think of it," Jesse continued, on a roll now, "Shal wasn't in either. You two aren't at it, are you?"  
  
Shal turned to him, "I was out, and it's none of your business where," she retorted.  
  
"Touchy!" Jesse joked. "So, Bren? What was it? A blonde, a brunette?"  
  
"I'll tell you what," suggested Emma. "I'll get you after the meeting and explain about the birds and the bees, shall I?" They all laughed.  
  
"I can't believe you haven't got it yet, Jess," continued Shal.  
  
"OK now, children," smiled Adam. "Let's get down to business before we come to blows, yeah?"  
  
"What's up Adam?" asked Emma as the others settled down.  
  
"You're all off to Creation this evening, the club."  
  
"Woohoo! My turn to pull!" whooped Jesse.  
  
"Maybe not tonight," Adam continued. "I've got information that Misha will be there tonight, and this will be our best bet to get her back with the least risk to us all."  
  
"Have you figured out how to reverse the brainwashing?" asked Rosalie anxiously.  
  
"I'm pretty sure I've cracked it. But you've got to understand that it'll take a while to fully take effect. It's not an overnight cure. I'm not sure how long I'll have to keep her under before she's completely her old self." He smiled, "Now off you go. I suggest you take the rest of the day to sharpen up your combat skills. Misha is a pretty powerful mutant."  
  
As they trooped out of the lab, Adam called behind them, "Brennan, Rosa." he smiled sneakily. "I'm glad you two have sorted out your differences."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Rosalie stood alone in the centre of the club. This was her scene; the throbbing music sending shivers down her spine, the laughing voices, the mass of bodies on the dance floor, but today she wasn't enjoying it. Brennan was outside, ready for the ambush, and Emma and Jesse were somewhere inside, but she couldn't see them. Shalimar was by the bar, she could see that she was surveying the scene too, trying to catch a glimpse of Misha.  
  
Rosa watched Shal as a man came up to her and started talking in her ear. She saw Shal motion to the man, but he refused to go away, and he continued talking into her ear with a somewhat drunk look on his face. Shal turned irritably towards him and spoke harshly towards him. This was obviously one of those slime balls you sometimes met in clubs, the kind who wouldn't take no for an answer. She felt a pang of sisterly pity for Shal, then thought better of it and felt sorrier for the man who was about to find out that you don't pester a feral without paying for it!  
  
She turned her attention to a man close behind her own elbow. She could feel his hot breath on her bare shoulder.  
  
"What's a beautiful thing like you doing in here all alone?" he leered her.  
  
"Leave me alone." She was in no mood for this.  
  
"Come on, darling. Fancy a dance?" he persisted.  
  
"No thanks. I'd much rather be alone thank you."  
  
"Oh, don't be the ice queen with me, you know you're dying for a dance."  
  
"Will you go away and leave me alone?" she said more forcefully. His demeanour suddenly changed.  
  
"I know what you are, Firefly," he whispered hoarsely. "I'd keep my eyes open if I were you. Don't let your guard down."  
  
She whipped round, trying to catch sight of the man's face, but he had disappeared. What did he mean by that? 'Don't let your guard down'?  
  
"Rosa," Emma called to her. Rosalie turned to see Emma and Jesse making their way towards her. "Rosa, she's here, I'm certain about that." Rosalie scanned the mass of bodies around her.  
  
"I can't see her," she replied to Emma.  
  
"There she is," Jesse exclaimed. "There by the cloakrooms, do you see her?"  
  
Rosa directed her search to where Jesse had seen her. A petite brunette with short hair emerged from the cloakroom.  
  
"Yep, that's her," confirmed Rosa. "Bren, Shal, we've located Misha. She'll be out in a minute," she spoke over the comlink, warning the other two currently waiting outside the back door of the club.  
  
She nodded to Emma who, as planned, planted a thought in Misha's mind. The plan was to lure Misha outside by making her nauseous, dizzy and in need of some fresh air. Once outside, Brennan and Shalimar would be waiting to ambush her and bring her back safely.  
  
She followed Misha out of the back door with Emma and Jesse. As she emerged into the cold night air, she was just in time to see Shalimar spinning through the air and crashing against a brick wall. Misha had obviously developed her powers to such an extent that she could suspend humans too and move them at her will. As Jesse ran over to check on Shal, Rosa saw Brennan starting to float through the air.  
  
"What the." he exclaimed.  
  
"Bren, keep calm," Rosa yelled at him as she prepared herself to send a stream of fire towards her sister. This was the test - had she learnt to control herself enough in order to restrain Misha without killing her? She paused, unsure of herself.  
  
"Rosa, you can do it, come on," Emma encouraged her, waiting for her opportunity to blast Misha's mind. Rosa raised her hands towards her and sent a stream of fire at her. It grew from her fingers towards Misha, hit her on her chest and pinned her to the wall. Brennan dropped to the floor as Misha struggled, but she couldn't break free from the energy stream. As Emma's mind blast hit her, she sagged, unconscious. Brennan ran towards her, gathering her in his arms.  
  
"Good on you," he whispered into her hair. "I know how hard that was for you."  
  
Rosa approached Emma and Misha. "She's OK," reassured Emma. "How's Shal, Jesse?" she called over to him.  
  
"I think she's hurt pretty bad," replied Jesse as he wiped her bloodstained blonde hair away from her face. "Come on, we'd better get her back to Adam, pronto."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Woohoo!! Finally got Firefly into the story! OK, I have a question for you guys. How believable is it that Rosalie and Brennan are together? What have you perceived their relationship to be? Basically, do I have to do some more work on the relationship side before I get into the action again? 


	11. Sisterly love

Disclaimer: None of them belong to me apart from Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating to all those of you who have come to expect more regular chapters. I've made this chapter a little longer to make up for it.  
  
  
  
Chapter 17: Sisterly Love  
  
"Are you sure she's OK?" asked Rosalie as Adam tended to Shal's wounds.  
  
"She'll be fine, it's only a flesh wound. Scalp wounds tend to bleed a lot, and it always looks worse than it is. She'll come round with an almighty headache, but nothing she can't handle." He turned his attention to Misha who had been laid out on a bed and restrained. "As for Misha, I'll need more time to analyse her mutation up close and see how it's been integrated into her brainwashing. Is there anything you can tell me about her history?"  
  
"Last time I spoke to her was over a year ago. She had just found out about her mutation. It happened when she was in an argument with our parents. She's always been a bit volatile."  
  
Adam smiled to himself at this. There were obviously some similarities between her and her sister.  
  
"She was shouting at them, when a glass of water flew off the table and drenched their feet. It was obviously all new to her and she couldn't lift that glass enough to do any more damage. Well, my parents flipped. They called her a freak of nature, and threw her out of the house. I don't understand why they didn't expect this. I didn't think mutations just arose if neither of the parents are mutants." She looked questioningly at Adam.  
  
"I can clear that one up for you," he replied gently. "Those weren't your parents. You were both adopted when your real parents were killed in a fire when you were very young. The people you knew as your parents certainly never expected you two to develop mutant powers of your own."  
  
Rosa looked at her hands. "That explains a lot," she replied. "They never knew about my mutation either. I was too young to realise that not everybody could create heat with their hands. When I realised I was different, I got scared. I didn't tell them. After all, I couldn't hurt them, all I could do was give them hot flushes. What harm could it have done to keep quiet about it?" She went quiet for a minute. "When they threw Misha out at 15 years old, I lost contact with her. I asked my parents about her, but they forbade me speak about her. I got mad one day and told them that if they could throw my sister out, they should throw me out too, and told them about my power. I thought that would make them come to their senses."  
  
Adam put his arm around her. ".they just threw me out too," she finished. He hugged her closer as she tried to squeeze back the tears.  
  
"I know how difficult it is for people to accept mutants. Its even worse when prejudice comes from people you thought loved you." He wiped the tears from her cheek. "That's why you'll find that most of us see Mutant X as our family. We understand each other." She nodded. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"  
  
"I don't think so. I haven't actually seen or heard from her in over a year. I don't know how powerful she is now," she continued. "All I know is what we've seen in our encounters with her."  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll get what I need from the analysis."  
  
"Another thing," continued Rosa as she remembered the evening. "I was approached by a strange man who said he knew what I was. It was weird, he called me Firefly."  
  
Adam spun round, "Firefly?" he demanded.  
  
Rosalie, surprised by the force of his reaction, recoiled. "Yes, I'm pretty sure about that."  
  
"What else did he say?"  
  
"Erm, he said something about keeping my eyes open. Yes, that's it, he told me not to let my guard down. Do you know who he is?"  
  
"It's probably nothing," he replied, trying to ease the girl's anxiety. "Do you remember what he looked like?"  
  
"I didn't see his face. He was behind me and when I turned round to see who he was, he had disappeared."  
  
"Well, if it happens again, it might be helpful if we knew what he looked like. That way we may be able to identify him. Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure it was just a prank," he replied, trying to convince himself as much as her. "Now, I should really get on with Misha," he said with a forced smile, but his brow furrowed with worry as the girl walked out the door.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"So how's it going so far?" Brennan asked Rosa above the candle flame.  
  
"Great," Rosa replied. "You realise that this'll be our first proper date?"  
  
"Which is why it's going to be brill."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Rosa asked jokingly. Bren replied by nodding enthusiastically. "A candlelit dinner in one of the most romantic restaurants in town, and you," she paused and her eyes glittered in the candlelight. "Sounds pretty brill to me!" she replied. She was trying to put the events of the night before out of her head, but it was difficult to forget Adam's face as he listened to her 'Firefly' story.  
  
"Cheer up, Rosa," Brennan said as he nudged her. "You've got a face like a wet weekend. What's up?"  
  
"No, nothing," she replied, snapping out of her morose mood. She smiled at him as she reached for his hand across the table.  
  
"Is it Misha?" he persisted. "What did Adam tell you about her condition?"  
  
"He said it would take a while, but to be honest you know as much as I do. It's something else he said." Brennan tilted his head in a silent question. "Well, more what he didn't say actually."  
  
"You're not making much sense, Ros."  
  
She took a deep breath as she cleared her head and straightened the story in her head. "That night at the club, the night we got Misha back," she began, "a man approached me and said something about knowing what I was."  
  
"Plenty of people have it in for mutants. Do you know if he was with the GSA?"  
  
"I don't know, but Adam was seriously spooked. He tried not to panic me, but it was kinda obvious."  
  
"Now that's something you don't see every day, Adam spooked."  
  
As she looked across the restaurant, she though she caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar face as he stood up from his table.  
  
"Isn't that Jesse over there?" Brennan looked round to where she had been indicating.  
  
"That's definitely him! Well, well! He's done well for himself, who's that girl with him?"  
  
"I'm sure we'll soon find out," Rosa replied with an evil grin as Jesse and the girl started making their way towards the exit, giving them a better view. Annoyingly, Jesse was always one step ahead of his companion, always masking her face from view.  
  
As they left together, however, they saw him stop just outside the door, giving them a clear view through the window. He leaned in to give her a kiss and her hands crept up to his neck as she pulled him in for a more passionate kiss. Brennan and Rosalie nudged each other, almost proud of their charming teammate. As Jesse drew away from the kiss, Bren and Rosa felt their mouths drop open simultaneously, for he had revealed her face, and it was none other than the sweet and very recognisable features they saw every day.  
  
"Emma!?!"  
  
"My goodness! Did you know about this?" Bren asked her.  
  
"I knew she had a soft spot for him," Rosa spluttered, "but I didn't know it had gone this far!"  
  
"He is gonna get such a teasing!" grinned Brennan.  
  
"Oh, poor thing! He didn't do that to you!" Rosa protested.  
  
"Yeah, but he still hasn't figured it out, Ros," he argued. "Do you seriously think he'd have kept it quiet if he had known? No, no, this boy is in for some serious mickey-taking!" he finished with an evil grin. "Just you wait til we get back to Sanctuary, mate," he grinned to himself.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Much later at Sanctuary, Brennan and Rosalie were trying to spin out their evening. They sat outside watching the stars, making up stories about them.  
  
"I could stay out here all night," Rosalie exclaimed.  
  
"You've gotta be joking! We'd freeze to death!"  
  
"No we won't! You forget who you're talking to," and she produced an orange glow of warmth between her hands. "See? No more cold!" she pronounced as she held up the glowing ball to his face. "Now THIS I can control! This I've had lots of practice with."  
  
The glow reflected on her face as she spoke, and he was transfixed by the shadows playing across her face.  
  
"I don't need that when I'm with you," he mumbled as he brought their lips together. As they kissed, he heard a noise from the shadows. He raised his head.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out. There was no answer except the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Rosa put her hand out and pushed a stray lock of hair out of his face, bringing his attention back to her. "Shall we go in now?" he continued. Again, there was a noise from the bushes, this time sounding more like a giggle.  
  
"I know you're there. Make life easy on yourself and come out," he demanded. Rosa turned to watch the shadows, but saw nothing but darkness. She raised a hand and created a ball of fire, shooting it into the blackness and highlighting a figure, hunched over trying to stifle a fit of the giggles.  
  
"Jesse?" called Brennan.  
  
"Oh, man, that was sooo funny!" came Jesse's voice as he stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Jesse, man, you could get yourself hurt by hiding in shadows," said Brennan in relief.  
  
"I can take care of myself."  
  
"Not from me you can't!" Brennan yelled playfully at him.  
  
"Bren, mate, you're hilarious when you're spouting romantic lines! So what is this then?" Jesse asked as he walked over towards them. "You two together or something?"  
  
"Took you long enough to figure it out, Jess," Brennan replied.  
  
"Is this what all the talk was about yesterday?" he asked, a light suddenly switching on in his mind.  
  
"Bingo, we've hit the jackpot," joked Bren. "Oh, man, you are sooo naïve! So, what are you doing out here at this time of night?"  
  
"We've only just come in, I was just going to bed," Jesse replied.  
  
"Whom did you go out with then?"  
  
"We? I didn't say we," he spluttered as he tried to correct his mistake.  
  
"No, no, I definitely detected a 'we'. Who's this mysterious we?"  
  
"You heard wrong Bren. I'm positive I said 'I'. Yeah, I said 'I'. I never said 'we'. And I'm tired now, so I'm going to bed." He tried to close the conversation.  
  
"OK, you go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Jesse looked relieved for a moment. "And we can have another chat about your 'we'," Bren continued as a nervous Jesse scuttled off.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Morning, Em," yawned a sleepy Rosalie as she walked into the kitchen. Emma looked up from her cereal.  
  
"Morning, Rosa. How did your date with Brennan go?" she smiled.  
  
"It was great, really romantic. We went to that Italian restaurant just off the main street," she replied, and watched carefully as Emma went pink.  
  
"Verdi?"  
  
"Yeah, that's the one. There was a lovely atmosphere, and the weather was perfect for a midnight stroll home."  
  
"Yeah, I can imagine," replied Emma, trying to figure out whether Rosalie and Brennan had seen them. Usually she would have been able to tell immediately, but her befuddled head this morning was making life difficult for her.  
  
"So what did you get up to last night?" asked Rosa.  
  
"Me? Oh, watched a film, ate pizza, bed early, that's all really," she replied, flustered.  
  
"Good film?"  
  
"Not bad."  
  
"Which did you watch?"  
  
"Err, . I can't think of the title right now."  
  
"Did Jesse enjoy this imaginary film, or did he prefer the pizza you two had at Verdi's?" Rosa dropped the bombshell, grinning sneakily.  
  
"You saw us!" Emma exclaimed. "You pig! Making me squirm like that!"  
  
"How come you didn't tell me about this latest development, Em?"  
  
"Well, it was all rather last minute, and I was worried that it would all go wrong, that maybe Jesse meant it as a friendly date rather than a romantic one."  
  
"He invited you to a romantic Italian restaurant! How could you misconstrue that?" Rosa yelled at her.  
  
"I know, I know," continued a bashful Emma. "I guess I was just being overly cautious."  
  
"Definition of Emma is 'overly cautious'," came Shalimar's voice as she slunk into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. "What are you being overly cautious about this time, honey?"  
  
Emma blushed some more. "Shal, promise you won't say anything to Adam yet," she begged the feral.  
  
"Sure, what's the big secret?"  
  
"She went out on a date with Jesse last night!" Rosa squealed in delight, cutting in before Emma.  
  
"You never! You kept that quiet, didn't you?"  
  
"I didn't mean to, it's just that as this was the first date, I wanted."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, you wanted to be sure. Being overly cautious," grinned Shal. "So who else knows?"  
  
"Probably everyone by now," frowned Emma as Brennan made his entrance.  
  
"Oh, man, you should have seen Jesse's face, trying to get out of it this morning!" he started with a grin. "Morning girls."  
  
"So how did he take it?" Rosa asked.  
  
"Hang on, how did Brennan find out about this? Was I the last to know?"  
  
"We saw them last night on their date," Rosa explained.  
  
"He is such a bad liar," Bren went on. "Finally he cracked, but not until he went so red I could have cooked an egg on his face! Oh, I really enjoyed that, thanks Em!"  
  
"You're welcome, but if I don't get to the shower before Shal gets in there, I'll never have time for my morning meditation," Emma replied, trying to stop the blush on her own face as she hurried off.  
  
"Well, if I'm not gonna get to the shower yet, I'm going back to bed," yawned Shal as she strolled off.  
  
Rosa smiled, "I needed that giggle after the Firefly scare."  
  
Brennan froze. "Firefly? Where did you hear that name?"  
  
"Oh, don't you go all 'Adam' on me," she grinned nervously. "I told you about it already."  
  
"No, you only mentioned that someone had said he knew what you were."  
  
"Yeah and that it spooked Adam."  
  
"Well, if that man called you Firefly, then that's more likely to be what spooked Adam."  
  
"Hang on a minute, what do you know about Firefly? What's this all about?"  
  
"You mean Adam didn't tell you?"  
  
"No, he didn't. Now tell me what's going on before I scream!"  
  
Brennan took a deep breath. "I don't really know much about it." He paused. "Maybe I shouldn't say anything. Adam would have told you if it were important."  
  
"Well, he didn't and now I want to know, so spill."  
  
Brennan frowned. "This is only what I've heard on the streets, OK?" Rosa nodded, trying to hurry him along. "OK. Have you ever heard of Firefly at all?"  
  
"Only the insect."  
  
"Well, there's an urban legend out there that there's a group of people awaiting the return of the one they call 'Firefly'. They think she's their saviour, and when she comes again, she'll reign with fire and blood."  
  
"What the hell has that got to do with me?"  
  
"One person obviously thinks you're The One."  
  
Rosa stared unseeingly into space as she tried to comprehend the whole situation.  
  
"Rosa, are you OK?" Brennan asked. "Rosa?"  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
I think I'll leave it there for the moment, but there'll be more action in the next chapter.  
  
Any ideas? Comments? Criticisms? Review please! 


	12. The legend

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Mutant X. Only Rosalie and Misha are my own original characters.  
  
Author's Note: Jesse and Emma may have to take a back seat for a while now. I think I'm going to be concentrating on the Firefly storyline, and if I can include their relationship too, I will, but don't expect too much!  
  
Chapter 12: The legend  
  
Her breathing became slower and more even as she relaxed into her meditation. The scent of newly cut grass smelt crisp and fresh and the sounds of the birds gave her a sense of calmness and freedom. As she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings, she mused how she had always come to the park when she felt troubled or confused. This was her favourite spot, under the weeping willow. Its hanging branches felt like a familiar embrace, hiding her from the world around her. Not that there were many passers-by at this time in the morning, but she needed the security. She wasn't sure what to make of what Brennan had told her. Surely both him and Adam were making a big issue out of nothing. How could they think she was Firefly? *Reign with blood and fire?* she thought. *All I want is a bit of peace for a change *  
  
This was as good a time as any to practice her new powers, so she concentrated on forming a ball of heat in her left hand. Her palm glowed orange as the ball grew in size. *Well that was easy enough,* she thought as she made it dissipate. She raised her right hand and tried forming a ball of cold, but as she did, it flew out of her hand and froze some of the hanging leaves surrounding her. This was definitely going to take more practice. Maybe she should be doing this in the safety of the Sanctuary, but she needed time on her own to sort her mind out.  
  
She concentrated once more on her right palm, trying to make it tingle with cold rather than blast a stream of ice. Her palm glowed a pale blue as she felt a slight tingle. She felt elated for a moment, but it was short-lived and it went out before she could keep it there. She threw her hands down in frustration. It was never this difficult with the fire, but maybe that was because she only had warmth before she found she could shoot fire.  
  
She was so intent on her hands that she didn't see the black van pull up close to her until the doors slid open noisily and three men rushed out. Her head jerked up and she fell into a defensive pose. One man dropped to his knees and bowed his head whilst another one turned to the third and asked,  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
The man on his knees lifted his head and gazed reverentially at her.  
  
"Highness, we are honoured and awed by your presence."  
  
"What the hell is going on?" she asked, not moving from her defensive stance.  
  
One of the other men turned irritated towards the one on his knees.  
  
"Imbecile, you know she is unaware of her true nature. We must take her now."  
  
"You're not taking me anywhere," she spat at them as she flung a stream of fire at the nearest one.  
  
"She is truly the one!" he proclaimed from the floor.  
  
"Highness, all will become clear once we get you home," the awed one spoke as he neared her. "You shall fulfil destiny."  
  
"Not a chance!" With two bolts of fire, she floored the remaining two men, concussing the third and ran off before they regained consciousness.  
  
Ten minutes later, she stormed into the lab to find Adam at the computer.  
  
"What the HELL was all that 'Firefly' business about Adam? You've gotta tell me about it!"  
  
Adam raised his head from his work. "Why? Has something happened?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Oh, not much," she feigned casualness. "Only a few men proclaiming me 'The One' and trying to get me back 'home' so that I could fulfil destiny." She glared at him, her eyes glowing once again from the adrenaline of the recent fight. "I want some answers!"  
  
Adam sighed. "There is a legend about Firefly. She is said to have reigned centuries ago, burning all the unbelievers and people not deferential to her. They say she created fire itself and had the ability to fly, hence the name 'Firefly'. She terrorised the people for nearly a century, growing no older herself. They say she had also discovered the secret of eternal life and immortality. She was eventually killed by her right hand man. He was a being said to have been able to withstand the extreme temperatures she created. He rose through the ranks and gained her confidence, always concealing his ability. He almost sounds like a molecular impervious. Eventually, he beheaded and burnt her. It was thought that it would be the only way to prevent her from coming back."  
  
"Although the vast majority of people rejoiced, the most devout of her followers formed a sect which vowed to constantly search for the return of Firefly. It has survived all these centuries, and they now believe that she has returned. These people are willing to go to any lengths to bring her back. I should have told you all this as soon as you mentioned the name Firefly, but I was hoping it was a misunderstanding, a one-off. They obviously believe that you are Firefly."  
  
"But why? I know I'm not her. I would remember, surely."  
  
"Of course, but if they are so totally convinced, they will stop at nothing to bring her back. You must be very careful. I'm surprised they only sent along a few men to take you back. Maybe they thought you would know you were The One." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You realise what this means. We must take precautions. You're not to go out alone from now on. Now that they're more certain that you're what they want, and they know what you're capable of, they'll be sending larger forces next time."  
  
"Why hadn't I heard of this legend?" she asked him.  
  
"It's a legend that has only thrived in the deepest underground. Very few people know about it, or at least, know the full repercussions of it." He paused in thought. "I suggest we let the others know so that they are aware of what they'll be facing. I'll call a meeting. In the meantime, go rest. You look exhausted."  
  
As she walked out of the lab, Adam tapped some buttons and a female face came up on the screen.  
  
"Adam!" exclaimed the woman. "Nice to hear from you again! To what do I owe the honour?"  
  
"We have a problem," he replied, getting straight to the point as usual. "Do you remember about 20 years ago, we heard of the Firefly legend?"  
  
"Oh, yes I think so. That load of nonsense. What of it?"  
  
"It's no nonsense. They've surfaced again. One of my team has the ability to blast fire and ice, and they've latched on to that and are trying to take her back and make her ruler again. They're convinced that this is going to be their return to power."  
  
"But that was only a story. You mean there's a chance it could be all true?"  
  
Adam nodded resignedly. "I'm afraid its turned out to be much more than a silly story. There's a very real possibility that Rosalie IS Firefly, and any memories she may have from back then are buried somewhere deep in her subconscious. I believe Rosalie is in real danger. I need your help."  
  
"What could I possibly do?"  
  
"Keep your ear to the ground. I need all the information I can get on this group."  
  
"Well, I'll see what I can do. How is she taking it?"  
  
"I've reassured her that she's not The One."  
  
"Is this wise? Surely she deserves to know the whole truth, to better prepare her for what may happen."  
  
"I don't dare tell her any more. If it was true that the man who killed her was in fact her lover, there's no knowing how that will affect her current relationship."  
  
"You think her friends are in danger too?"  
  
"No, I think her boyfriend is in danger."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
A little later, Emma, Shalimar and Jesse were gathered in the lab.  
  
"What's the problem, Adam?" asked Jesse, voicing the others' curiosity at the sudden meeting.  
  
"Where's Brennan?" interrupted Rosa.  
  
"I don't know," replied Emma. "He said he was going to go look for you."  
  
"What time was this?"  
  
"A while ago now. You haven't seen him yet?"  
  
"Not since this morning in the kitchen."  
  
Adam's face grew darker as his worry increased. Rosalie glanced over and saw that this was probably more serious than Brennan's usual disappearances.  
  
*This is something to do with the Firefly story, it's got to be,* she thought as she turned and left the lab. She could hear Adam's voice as if through a fog, calling her back. Her one worry now was finding Brennan. If this was worrying Adam so much, Bren could be in trouble now.  
  
She ran from room to room within the Sanctuary and had to conclude that he wasn't in. *Where would he have gone to look for me?* she racked her brain. Suddenly a crackling or her comring broke her concentration.  
  
"Rosalie, be sensible. Come back and we'll organise a search party to look for Brennan," came Adam's voice.  
  
"No time, Adam. I have to do this now," she replied.  
  
"Rosa, let's do this sensibly," argued Emma in her most persuasive voice. "Can you hear m.?" The voice faded out as a cracking sound became louder.  
  
"Hello?" came a man's voice over the ring.  
  
"Who is this?" demanded Rosa.  
  
"Firefly," he sounded smug. "We met at the club." Rosa's blood ran cold. How did he get through to her comring? "They've got your friend, Mulwray. If you want to know where he is, meet me at Creation tonight at 10. Come alone."  
  
"How did you get through?" she demanded.  
  
"The wonders of modern technology," he replied before the crackling was replaced by Emma's voice.  
  
"Rosa? What's going on? Where are you?"  
  
"At the dojo," she replied, feeling beaten.  
  
"Stay there, I'm coming to get you."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Emma ran up to her, worry etched on her pretty features. "What happened?"  
  
"I can't find Brennan," she replied miserably. She didn't want anyone to know about her meeting that evening. She was worried that they might try to stop her.  
  
Emma looked at her intently. "That's not all. What's going on?"  
  
Rosalie felt a flash of anger. "Will you stop playing around in my mind, Em!"  
  
"Sorry, Rosa," she apologised, "but when the emotion's so strong, its difficult to ignore. You know you've always been able to confide in me."  
  
"Yeah, but can I trust you to be on my side and not tell the others?" she hypothesized.  
  
"Why? Has something come up that the others should know about?"  
  
"No! No one has the right to know what I'm doing, especially when it's to do with my life, my future."  
  
Emma put her arm round Rosa's shoulders. She could feel the frustration, anger and fear radiating from her friend. "I wouldn't tell anyone if you didn't want me to," she reassured her. "But if I can help, I will."  
  
Rosa thought it through in her muddled mind. She was so scared for Brennan that she couldn't think straight. Maybe it would be a good thing to have a telempath in on the whole situation.  
  
"I got a message from that man in Creation. He says they've got Brennan and I should meet him at the club tonight if I want to see him again."  
  
Emma's face paled at the thought of losing one of her closest friends. "What are you going to do?" she asked.  
  
"What else can I do but go there tonight?"  
  
"I'm coming with you."  
  
"No, I was told to go alone."  
  
"Well, then I'll stay in the shadows away from you." Rosa paused, not knowing what to do for the best. "I can help," Emma insisted. "Adam told us all about this weird Firefly sect, I know what I'm getting myself into, don't worry. Plus I couldn't live with myself if I thought there was something I could have done for Bren."  
  
"Then it's settled. It's Creation time tonight."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
As always, keep the reviews coming. 


	13. The Invisible Man

Disclaimer: Not mine. Only Rosalie and Misha.  
  
Author's Note: Big thank you to Feral Shock and Brigitta, two of my more faithful reviewers. :o) But apart from you two, I get the feeling that no one is reading this. Don't know whether to continue or not, so I've decided that I'll give it one more chapter and see how it goes.  
  
Chapter 13: The Invisible Man  
  
She had spent the whole day of worrying herself sick about Brennan and wondering whether there was anything else she could do. This was the time she was waiting for, time for action. Inside the club, the music blared around her as she merged into the crowd. As she looked around, she could see no sign of Emma. That was good. Emma was staying out of sight. It was nearly 10 and still there was no sight of the man. She knew she wouldn't be able to recognise him by sight as she had never gotten a good view of him, but there was no sign of anyone looking out of place.  
  
She felt a nudge in her back and whipped round, but there were so many people dancing it was impossible to see who it had been. She tried to get off the dance floor and over to the bar. Maybe one of the barmen could help her. As she pushed her way through the mass of bodies, a hand fell on her shoulder and whispered into her ear hoarsely,  
  
"I said alone."  
  
As she whipped round to see him, he had gone. She looked around wildly but could see nothing but people dancing and enjoying themselves.  
  
"Did you see that Em?" she asked into her ring.  
  
"See what?" came her reply.  
  
"He was just behind me. I'm going to go see if any of the bouncers saw anything," she continued as she squeezed past a gyrating couple.  
  
"I'm looking for a man," she told the nearest bouncer.  
  
"Best place in town for that, lady," he replied with a grin.  
  
"No, I mean someone who was here a moment ago. I need to speak to him, but I've lost him now. Did you see anyone in that area?" she asked again, gesturing.  
  
"No, love, sorry. Have you tried at the bar?"  
  
As she approached the bar, she saw that Emma had beaten her to it and was talking animatedly with the barman. When she saw Rosa approaching, she beckoned to her hurriedly.  
  
"He says he saw the man, Rosa!"  
  
"What did you see?" Rosa interrogated the young man.  
  
He stuttered nervously. "I didn't really take a good look at him, miss." He turned pink. "But he said two ladies would be looking for him and to give you this," he handed over a crumpled piece of white paper.  
  
Rosa took the paper, and frustrated with herself for not catching sight of him yet again, made her way outside.  
  
Once out in the night air, she opened the paper.  
  
"What does it say?" asked Emma.  
  
Rosa read. "He will be killed. If you want to see him alive again, get to the St. Martin's Street warehouse before noon tomorrow."  
  
Suddenly Emma stiffened. "He's still here," she whispered to Rosa. Rosa looked up, searching the dark alley for an unfamiliar shape. "Somewhere on our left," Emma whispered again, not lifting her head. Rosa nodded her understanding.  
  
"You up for this?" she whispered back.  
  
"Let's do it."  
  
Together, they turned to their left as Rosa fired a streak of light into the corner. It illuminated the alley and outlined the dark shape, which turned to run. The two girls ran after him, determined not to let him get away. Emma stalled him as much as she could and as he slowed down, Rosa got a clear shot and blasted another streak of flame at him.  
  
He turned just before it hit him, and massed as Jesse did. The blast did him no harm. Rosa and Emma stopped short when they saw him stand his ground. They stared at him as he glared back at them. Rosa summoned the glowing ball of fire in her hands and prepared to aim at him, when he suddenly faded into the background.  
  
"Where'd he go?" cried Rosa dissipating the energy. "He just vanished into thin air!"  
  
Emma stepped forward to survey the area. "It almost feels like he's still here," she said.  
  
Suddenly, he materialised behind Emma, and before Rosa could shout out to warn her, he massed and brought his hands across to swipe the back of her head.  
  
"Emma!" Rosa cried out as Emma fell to the floor, unconscious. She ran towards him, determined not to let him get away this time, but he had faded into the background again.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"You two should know better than to go to this sort of meeting alone," Adam admonished then once Emma had woken up back at Sanctuary, and the two girls had told him everything.  
  
"I'm sorry Adam. I didn't know what to do for the best," Rosa explained, feeling dejected.  
  
Adam relented a little. He couldn't bear to see any of his team looking so down in the mouth. Shalimar wasn't helping matters either by sulking in her room. She was annoyed that Rosa had told Emma about the meeting and had robbed her of an opportunity for a fight.  
  
"From what you've told me, this man is a molecular with the powers of imperviousness and invisibility," he carried on. "It's a good thing you told me about tonight. If we're up against mutants, then we have to step up our precautions. This is more than I was expecting."  
  
"Is there anything at all on him?" asked Emma.  
  
"Nothing," interjected Jesse, who was busy on the computer. "The description is far too vague. You'd think that the GSA at least would have something on him. They've got info on everyone."  
  
"Let's have a look at that note again," asked Adam.  
  
"We have to go find him, Adam. If they're going to kill him its because of me. I have to get him out."  
  
"This is not your fault, Rosalie," said Adam sternly. "Circumstances have conspired to put you in this position, but we're a team now and we'll work through this together."  
  
"When?" she insisted.  
  
Everyone stared at Rosa's comring as it suddenly crackled and came to life.  
  
"Rosa!" came Brennan's voice.  
  
"Bren! Where are you? I've been looking for you everywhere!"  
  
"Rosa, be careful, don't worry about me." Brennan rushed over the words, slurring them, before he was cut off and a man's voice came over the ring.  
  
"Highness, we have isolated the problem. He will never again threaten your reign. We will have him disposed by tomorrow. Until then." The clipped voice cut the link.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" Rosa demanded, shocked after hearing Brennan's voice.  
  
Adam steeled himself to tell what he knew. "I didn't tell you the whole story last time we spoke about it," he began. "Do you remember I said her right hand man eventually killed her and set her people free? What I didn't tell you was that man was also her lover. The Firefly sect believes that the lover will again put an end to her reign. They are determined to prevent the same thing happening again."  
  
Emma raised her hand to her mouth, shocked by what Adam was insinuating.  
  
"They're going to kill him to protect me?"  
  
"To protect Firefly."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Aren't I evil? (Evil cackle) I figured that if this doesn't entice people to review, nothing will. As I said earlier, I'll see what sort of response I get to this chapter before I write any more, so if you're enjoying it so far, let me know you're out there! 


	14. Red silk and gold bangles

Disclaimer: Tongue tired from saying it, fingers sick of typing it,..not mine. Only Rosalie, Misha and the Firefly squad. :o)  
  
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I needed to know that people would be reading it if I wrote it. I should warn everyone though, that things get rough for Brennan now, so if you're the squeamish type, look away now.  
  
* * denotes thoughts ~~ ~~ denotes visions  
  
Chapter 14: Red silk and gold bangles  
  
It was dark, and it was quiet. Very quiet. Even the crickets had been silenced that night. In the distance, a dog barked once, echoing in the deathly silence.  
  
The team walked silently along St. Martin's Street, feet barely making a noise on the paved street. Jesse motioned wordlessly to the others, and they split up as arranged. Emma and Shalimar turned left and made their way around to the back of the warehouse. It was up to Shalimar to lead Emma with her night vision.  
  
Meanwhile, Jesse and Rosa made their way towards the bolted front door. Rosa lit the way for them by the dim red glow emanating from her hand. The light wavered as she fought to keep the raging butterflies she felt under control.  
  
As they approached the door, Jesse laid a hand on it and phased them both through. It was the first time Rosa had passed through anything that Jesse had phased. It was almost like passing through soft sponge and left a tingling sensation on her skin. They appeared on the other side, on the edge of a large, empty area. As they listened intently, trying to hear any noise that was out of place, she felt Jesse's hand creep into her own and squeeze it. She turned to look at him as he flashed a reassuring smile at her.  
  
They watched Shal climb through a high window and drop down soundlessly. She crept to the back door and opened it for Emma. Still no strange sounds. Surely this was the place she was told to come? As planned, they made their way up the stairs to the second level, Emma and Shal covering their teammates' backs.  
  
They got to the top of the stairs and stopped, waiting to get a better impression whether there was anyone around. Out of the dark, something small sped towards Rosa without a sound and hit her shoulder. She looked down at the dart-shaped object in time to see the last drops of a blue liquid being drained into her body. She grabbed it and pulled it out of her skin, feeling slightly nauseous.  
  
"You OK?" Jesse whispered. "What was that?"  
  
Rosa swayed, feeling light-headed. Her vision began to blur and she couldn't stay on her feet.  
  
"Jesse," she started to say. "I don't feel so good."  
  
"It's OK, I'll get you outta here," he replied, holding her arm to steady her.  
  
She closed her eyes and swirls of red and orange danced before her eyes. *Not another member of Mutant X led into a trap because of me,* she thought. As her legs began to give way, she caught sight of a gang of men coming out of the shadows.  
  
"Jesse," she whispered, pushing him away weakly as he tried to pick her up. "Get out of h.." Her voice faded away as she succumbed to the darkness pulling her in.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
As she opened her eyes, she was surprised to realise that she wasn't being restrained in any way. She was lying on a large four-poster bed draped with red and orange silk, and all around her were gold and bronze ornaments and strange bowls.  
  
She looked around her, searching for a guard, or a force field. Anything that she could aim at, fight to get out of there. It couldn't be this easy to escape.  
  
She got up and noticed that a length of red silk had been wound round her waist, forming a long flowing skirt. More red silk just about covered her breasts, tied at the back in a knot, exposing her middle. She had also been draped with gold chains, from her ears hung large hoops of gold and her fingers were covered with gold rings studded with precious gems. There was no sign of her own clothes anywhere.  
  
She made her way to a large mirror standing just a few feet away from her. Her eyes had been rimmed with black eyeliner and her eyelids shimmered in gold. Fine gold threads had been woven through her red hair and a trail of gold and ruby jewellery pinned on her head kept her hair off her face. *These guys sure are hot on red and gold,* she thought to herself with a small smile. Her eyes unfocused,  
  
~~Fire, people running away, screaming. ~~  
  
The door creaked open, snapping her out of her daydream, and a slim young man entered. He flushed when he saw her standing there, and immediately broke eye contact.  
  
"Highness," he cowered. "Forgive the intrusion. I didn't realise you were awake. I shall bring some food and drink," he finished as he backed out through the door, still bowing.  
  
Rosa shook herself mentally. She couldn't afford to go daydreaming randomly. She had to keep alert, search for a way to get out and get to Brennan. *They must be keeping him somewhere near here.*  
  
She stood back and surveyed the room in greater detail. There was something about this place that was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. On the walls there were paintings of a blonde girl, not much older than her, flying through the air, flames erupting from her hands and extending up her arms. *On wings of fire. That must be Firefly,* she mused, slightly relieved to find she didn't look much like her.  
  
There weren't any windows in the room, and the door appeared to be unguarded. *How easy are they gonna make it for me?!* she thought, delighted that they may have underestimated her.  
  
As she approached the door, it swung open, and he came in again with a tray of food. Eyes averted, he shuffled over to a table and began to set out the meal.  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded of him.  
  
He kept his eyes downcast as he spoke to her in a tremulous voice. "I am only a servant, Highness. I was told to keep watch over you and see that you wanted for nothing."  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"Highness, it is not for me to answer your questions. The Chief Preacher will tell you all you need to know."  
  
"What about the others? My friends? What happened to them?" He started protesting again, but Rosa cut in. "I don't give a damn whether the High Priest himself is coming to say hi, I want answers now, and you're the only one here."  
  
~~Flames everywhere, terror in the air.~~  
  
"Highness?"  
  
"Answers," she repeated, trying to shake off the emotions that had just washed over her.  
  
"They left. We had no need to bring them back." He was unwilling to speak any more, obviously uncomfortable with the thought of speaking to Firefly herself. He backed away quickly through the door before she had the chance to question him further.  
  
Rosa sat on the edge of the ornate bed and tried thinking things through logically. Maybe things would be easier if she went along with this charade. She could get to Brennan, demand he be released and then be on her way. Now, if only she could stop these thoughts entering her mind unbidden. She could feel the start of a headache just above her eyes. She closed her eyes and lay back on the silk cushions.  
  
~~Screams littered the air, she could see people running around as if from above. Flames licked at the huts below her as mothers clutched their young children trying to escape the fire. She turned and saw a large group of people, men and women alike, on their knees. They were all screaming, praying, tears streaming down their pleading faces. The sky was black with smoke, and lifeless bodies covered the ground. ~~  
  
She snapped her eyes open. It had all been so real. The disturbing thing about it was it had all felt so right. A sound from the door caused her to turn.  
  
"Most noble and wise Highness," spoke the man reverentially from his position kneeling on the floor. He got to his feet and risked a look at her face. "Welcome. You came earlier than expected, oh Noble Queen. Forgive our state of disorder, for we were expecting you after the elimination."  
  
She looked at him warily. How did you treat someone like this who had such faith in you?  
  
"You will no doubt be feeling a little disorientated from the effects of the serum. Fear not for this will not last much longer."  
  
"Tell me what's going on," she demanded in her best psychotic queen voice.  
  
"As you, in your wisdom, will already know, we have Him in the Cage. He is at this moment awaiting Elimination."  
  
~~Elimination, an end to unbelievers. No less that what they deserved. She looked round. The kneeling group were praying louder now. Their screams taking on more urgency, clearer now. "Forgive us, Wise One." "Spare our children." "I beg of you!" "Please, don't send me for elimination." She laughed. Elimination was exactly what was necessary in this situation. Any unbelievers allowed to get away with flaunting their way of life would be detrimental to her power. This was a lesson to all who were tempted to stand against her. Let one person defy her and the whole town would be sent for Elimination. ~~  
  
"We would be extremely honoured if you were to oversee this ritual," he broke through her trance. She closed her eyes, waiting for the unfamiliar emotions to pass.  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear the muffled voices getting further away. Brennan risked opening one swollen eye. How on earth did he get himself into THIS mess? It was just supposed to be an innocent-looking stroll to the park, where he knew she would be, hiding away from the others. She thought he didn't know about her spot, but he was much more observant than she gave him credit for. He just didn't see his attackers. That had never happened to him before, he had always been so aware of his surroundings. Shameful for an ex-thief to get caught like this. Well, they had got him soaked pretty quick, as if they knew all about his weaknesses, and now there wasn't much he could do to get out of here. They obviously had prior knowledge of his powers before abducting him.  
  
He tested his bonds gingerly and winced in pain. His wrists were already raw and bleeding where the rope had rubbed his skin off. He felt as if he'd been put through a meat grinder, his face was swollen and he could hardly open his eyes or move his mouth to speak. They had tried everything to get him to give information about "Firefly's" haunts and weaknesses, but he wouldn't spill.  
  
He surveyed his jail cell for the hundredth time, praying to find an escape option he hadn't already considered. "The Cage", as they called it, was a metre-squared enclosure, about a foot of water at the bottom, surrounded on all four sides by iron bars reaching to the ceiling. The room he was in was bare apart from a metal table against one wall, and a steel bar fixed to the wall, circling the room, on which were hung various metal contraptions.  
  
He hung his head in defeat. He had never been in as tight a spot as this. He knew the rest of Mutant X would be searching for him and for ways to get him out, and that was the only ray of hope he had to cling to. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel that they should leave him here, not attempt a rescue. That way only he would die. He didn't want to risk the others being captured and treated like animals, as he had.  
  
He was particularly worried about Rosalie. These madmen were holding her up as a goddess. They were bent on getting her back. What would she do if she were captured as well? Would they treat her as they had treated him? Or would it be worse for her when they found out that she remembered nothing about Firefly? He wished he had had more time to speak to her when his jailor had demanded he get in contact.  
  
The voices were drawing closer again. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't respond. His head began spinning again as he tried to look towards the doorway. What were they going to do to him next? Nothing could be worse than what they had been doing to him so far. Through the slit between his swollen eyelids, he saw a large group of people enter the room.  
  
"Highness, the traitor," the man stated proudly. As he stepped aside, a slim figure clothed in red and gold entered his vision.  
  
"Rosa!"  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Oh, how I love cliffhangers... as if it wasn't obvious already! But seriously now, please keep the reviews coming cos it really helps to know I'm not writing for the hell of it here. Otherwise, it's back to the hypnotism ;o) 


	15. Firefly emerges

Disclaimer: Only Rosalie, Misha and characters associated with Firefly are my own creations.  
  
Author's Note: Don't worry, I'm not killing Brennan off,... yet. You'll just have to wait and see what happens!  
  
* * denotes thoughts ~~ ~~ denotes visions  
  
Chapter 15: Firefly emerges  
  
Back at Sanctuary, Adam was busy analysing the remains of the serum in the dart.  
  
"Calm down, Jesse, and tell me again what happened," Adam said, trying to soothe the anxious mutant.  
  
"I told you already Adam! They shot her with that dart, then came out of nowhere and took her away!"  
  
"We tried to fight them, but there were too many," added Shalimar.  
  
Adam looked more concerned than usual as the chemical composition of the serum flashed up on his screen. "And she just lost consciousness, is that all? Are you sure? Did she say anything before she blacked out?"  
  
"Positive. She just told me to get out."  
  
"Emma, any trace of her?" Adam asked the psionic.  
  
Emma opened her eyes and came out of her trance. "Nothing Adam. I can't find anything. Maybe she isn't conscious yet."  
  
"Two down, how many left?" muttered Jesse nervously.  
  
"What does that mean?" Shalimar asked squinting at the computer screen.  
  
They all gathered round the screen. "It's a mixture of an anaesthetic and an unknown drug. I've never seen this composition before, but if I've worked it out correctly, it works by inhibiting the conscious mind." He paused. "I'm not quite sure what they're trying to achieve, but..." he stopped dead, his mind working things out rapidly.  
  
"What's up Adam?" asked Shalimar.  
  
"Oh my God!" Adam exclaimed.  
  
"What? What?" Jesse insisted.  
  
Adam looked at them, unsure how to phrase his thoughts. "They're turning her back into Firefly!"  
  
"You mean its true? Is she really Firefly?" Emma asked unbelievingly.  
  
"It's hard to believe they'd put so much effort into getting her back if they weren't certain," he replied.  
  
"But there must be other thermal elemental mutants out there with the ability to shoot flames!" insisted Jesse.  
  
"Which makes it all the more believable that they may be right about this particular elemental."  
  
"So what can we do?" asked the ever-practical Emma.  
  
"Well, we can't just run in and take them back."  
  
"I don't see why not," argued Shalimar.  
  
"They'll have tight security and they certainly won't let their goddess go without a fight. And we don't want to risk either Brennan or Rosalie. I'll start working on a possible antidote. The only thing you can do at the moment is monitor the situation. Jesse, you keep an eye on the computer. If anything strange or unexplained comes up, you tell me." He turned to Emma, "Emma, you carry on trying to find her, and Shalimar, any chance you can go back to the warehouse and have a snoop round without getting into any fights?"  
  
Shalimar grinned humourlessly. "I can try, but fights come in search of me Adam."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
*Brennan!*  
  
Rosa's breath felt as if it was being sucked from her body. *What have they done to him? He looks close to death. I must keep this façade up. The others mustn't realise I feel anything for him.*  
  
"What happens now?" she asked the Chief Preacher.  
  
Rosa felt the atmosphere in the room change. She looked around to see the others looking at each other in dismay.  
  
"Don't worry Highness, the remains of your memory will come back to you in due course," he said, more to reassure the rest of the group than for her benefit. "Now we pass him into the chamber for Elimination. He is of no further use to us now that you are back."  
  
"No," she stated. "I want him around. He may yet be of some use."  
  
"But Highness," another preacher stuttered in confusion. "This is most irregular."  
  
The Chief glared at the speaker. "I'm sure her Highness, in her wisdom, knows what she is doing. What would you have us do to him?"  
  
"Leave me alone with him. I'm sure I can handle him myself."  
  
The Chief Preacher bowed his head, "Of course, Noble One." As one, the group bowed and left the room. Rosa waited until he was certain there was no one else around, and approached the sodden, limp body lying in a heap at the bottom of the Cage.  
  
"Bren?" she whispered.  
  
Brennan raised his head, giving her a head-on view of his bloody face. She gasped audibly, quickly looking around in case someone had heard her. She put her hand through the bars to touch the side of his face gently.  
  
"Rosa," he whispered, incapable of speaking any louder. "What are you doing... here?"  
  
"Oh, Brennan. What have they done? What have I done?"  
  
"...Not your fault," he tried to say.  
  
"Yes, it is. I should have come to them quietly. Then they wouldn't have had to take you." A tear stole down her face as she made him wince in pain by her gentle touch. "I've got to get you out of..."  
  
~~Give in to the hunger. Hunger for power, hunger for death and terror. It's more powerful than you could ever imagine.~~  
  
"Rosa?" he managed to whisper. He was looking into her eyes with concern.  
  
"I'll get you out. I have to find a way to contact..."  
  
~~Give in. You want it. You've always wanted it. You know I'm inside you and always have been. Give in to me.~~  
  
"NO!"  
  
"What's going on Rosa?" he whispered again.  
  
~~Power. Adulation. I want it. I want it all. Give in. You can have so much more. Feel the power. Feel the awe. You're mine.~~  
  
Rosa closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't control it... Bren..."  
  
~~Feel the fire in your veins. The energy in your every cell. You can have it all. Every last dream. You .. are ... Firefly.~~  
  
Brennan saw Rosalie open her eyes - they glowed blood red. She pulled herself upright and looked around her in satisfaction.  
  
Brennan stared back into her eyes fearfully. She was gone.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
At Sanctuary, Emma was still trying to find Rosalie with her mind.  
  
"Any luck, Em?" asked Jesse from his seat in front of the computer screen. Emma shook her head sorrowfully. "What about you Adam?"  
  
"Nothing I'm afraid Jesse. As I said, I've never seen anything like this compound before. I'm still trying to figure out how it works exactly."  
  
"Hang on!" Emma exclaimed. The two men looked at her in anticipation. "I think I've got her!"  
  
"Can you communicate with her Emma?"  
  
Emma frowned. "Something's not right." They waited with bated breath. "Something's not right," she repeated in a far away voice.  
  
"Can you pinpoint where she is, or what the problem is?" asked Adam.  
  
Emma frowned, as if in pain. "She won't let go," she cried. "Aaaaaaaaargh... ADAM!" she screamed as she fell to the floor, holding her head. Both men ran to her side and lifted her up onto the medical bed.  
  
"Emma, disconnect from her!" Adam called to her. Jesse looked at her lovely face screwed up in pain and screamed inwardly.  
  
"Emma, let go!" he yelled at her.  
  
Finally, her body went limp and she opened her eyes slowly.  
  
"What's happened?" asked Adam fearfully looking into her pale blue eyes.  
  
Emma shook her head. "It was awful. I don't know what I connected with, but it's very dangerous."  
  
"Was it Rosalie?"  
  
"Partly. Initially it was her." She looked up worriedly at Adam. "Adam, I think it was Firefly."  
  
"What exactly did you see, Emma?"  
  
"There was a feeling of total power, but it was evil."  
  
"Evil is a strong word," insisted Jesse.  
  
"I know, but it's the only way I can describe it, Jess."  
  
"Anything we can use against her?" asked Adam.  
  
"You're gonna take her down?" Jesse asked incredulously. "But she's one of us, Adam."  
  
"She's the only link we have to Brennan and Rosalie, because, like it or not, that's not Rosalie you're picking up any more Emma. Rosalie is buried somewhere deep within Firefly."  
  
"So you're quite happy to hurt Rosalie in order to beat Firefly?"  
  
"Not unless I can't find any other way out, but if it comes to that, then yes."  
  
Emma stirred. "There must be another way, Adam."  
  
"Anything you can tell me would be very useful Emma."  
  
"I couldn't get any more information from her. She knew I was in her mind, and she wasn't letting go of me until I could hardly take the pain any more." She faltered, not wanting to admit to her next thought. "I don't think I can go in again yet, Adam."  
  
"I'm not letting you try it again in any case," he replied. "It's too dangerous. If she has no problem in hurting you when you go into her mind, then there's no way you're trying it again." He brought up his hand to speak into his comring. "Shalimar, anything happening around the warehouse?"  
  
"There's a bit more action around here, but nothing I can pinpoint," came her reply. "There are a lot more people coming and going. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"I think you should come back here now Shalimar. We have to discuss our next step."  
  
"What is our next step then?" asked Jesse.  
  
"We send in an exploratory party, purely to gather information about the layout of the place, and in the meantime, I work further on finding an antidote."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"You know, you and me could make quite a team, Brennan," she said to him thoughtfully.  
  
"What do you mean?" he whispered.  
  
"If only you hadn't fought it. I'm only sorry that I didn't give it to it earlier. Life is so much better this way," she smiled as she twirled, the red silk flowing behind her.  
  
"Rosa, this isn't you."  
  
"Oh, you'd better believe it is, honey. That's what you and Adam don't understand. It's not a question of being either one or the other. I AM Rosalie, I'm just open to Firefly's memories. After all, I have been her. I am the same person." She smiled at him as she leaned over and took his chin in her hand, the familiar sparks causing him to pull away in pain. "But don't you worry, darling. You don't have to call me Firefly, you can call me Highness," she joked.  
  
"You're not the same Rosalie I fell in love with," he said sadly under his breath.  
  
She gazed at him with a tilted head. "You'll learn to love this side of me too. This part of me has always been here, it's just been a little hidden."  
  
He shook his head and then screwed his face in pain.  
  
"Oh, baby, are you hurting?" she asked, her face full of concern. "What have those nasty men done to you?" She strode to the door as she called loudly, "Get him out of those ropes!"  
  
There was a sound of running feet in response, and the Chief Preacher and the man Brennan had come to know as his jailor entered the room.  
  
"Highness, are you sure this is wise?" the Chief asked.  
  
"I know you're not questioning my judgement, because you know very well what happens to people who question my judgement." Her face was stony.  
  
"Certainly not, Wise One," he answered hurriedly, trying to make up desperately. He nodded to the jailor, who immediately untied Brennan's wrists through the bars. Brennan slumped into the water, finally released from his bonds.  
  
"I want him cleaned up, fed and brought to my room," she demanded.  
  
"But the Elimination ritual...?"  
  
"Will wait," Rosa finished for him.  
  
The two men looked at each other anxiously. "Is there a problem?" she asked pointedly.  
  
"Of course not Highness. He will be brought to you immediately," the jailor replied, bowing low.  
  
"Good" she gave them a curt nod as she swept out of the room majestically.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Anything at all, whether it's criticism (constructive please) or not. Or alternatively, feel free to email me at flyaway181@hotmail.com 


	16. Is it Rosa or isn't it?

Disclaimer: None of the original characters from the show are mine. Any unknown characters popping up ARE mine.  
  
Author's Note: I've finally managed to watch the first few episodes of season one and I can't believe I missed so much! Only now I understand how many mistakes I made towards the beginning of this fic, so thanks for being so patient and bearing with me. :o) In fact, it's given me an idea for another fic, so hopefully, once Christmas is over (and I finish this one) I'll have another one posted soon.  
  
Chapter 16: Is it Rosa or isn't it?  
  
She was lounging on the magnificent bed when the knock on the door came.  
  
"Enter," she called, not getting up. The door opened and one of the many faceless servants came in pushing Brennan along in front of him. The caked blood had been wiped off, and his handsome features were once again visible, although still a little swollen.  
  
"I hope he's been treated well," she demanded.  
  
"Yes mistress," he mumbled keeping his eyes downcast.  
  
She passed her scathing gaze over the servant. "Leave us."  
  
The door closed behind him, but still Brennan remained in his position, standing, unmoving by the door.  
  
She watched him for a while longer before she spoke. "Do you fear looking at me?" Still he said nothing. Finally, she sat up and patted the bed beside her. "Come on, Brennan. Once you let the barriers down, you'll find I haven't changed that much."  
  
"So you admit you've changed," he finally said.  
  
"Of course I've changed. You cant expect me to stay the same once I remembered everything about my past life," she replied, impatient with his misapprehension. "But I have always been like this deep down. If it takes this to bring out my true character, then it can only be a good thing."  
  
Still he remained in his spot, swaying slightly from the weakness in his legs.  
  
"Bren," she said softly. "I am still the same person, and this hasn't changed the way I feel about you."  
  
Brennan looked up at her, and she smiled at him. "I wouldn't ever let them treat you badly, doesn't that speak volumes about the way I feel about you? Come and sit by me. At least let's talk."  
  
He made his way painfully over and sat on the bed as she guided him. She ran her hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. "Oh, Brennan."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why didn't you just tell them whatever they wanted to know?" she asked, looking into his eyes pityingly.  
  
"I couldn't just lead them to you. I was willing to die as long as they didn't get their hands on you."  
  
"And you nearly did. And wouldn't have that been silly?"  
  
"Rosa," he said uncertainly, searching her face for something he could recognise.  
  
"Yes Bren, it is still me." She paused for a moment. "I'll prove it to you," she whispered as she bent her head over her hands encasing his wrists. As she breathed onto them, he felt a warm, tingling sensation enveloping his wrist wounds.  
  
"How did you do that?" he asked amazed as he looked at his completely healed wrists.  
  
"Comes with the job I suppose," she joked. "Can you still not see that this could be great?" He looked at her questioningly. "I've discovered powers I didn't know I had. I can heal, I can even fly!" She moved over to the painting of Firefly she had seen earlier. "Look, on wings of fire. Adam would probably say it was all down to the thermals, but it doesn't matter how. It can be done, that's all that matters."  
  
Brennan didn't know what to think. She spoke like Rosa, she certainly looked like Rosa. Was she really so different to the Rosa he had known earlier?  
  
"If you and I team up, imagine what we could do!" she exclaimed, caught up with her mental image. "With your sharp mind and mutant powers, and me with my own powers and the knowledge I've got now, we could do anything we wanted!"  
  
Brennan thought about it. She certainly had a point. She had been one of the most powerful new mutants he knew before the transformation, and now with her extra powers, there wasn't much Adam wouldn't be able to achieve with them.  
  
"Bren, darling, just because I've been given this gift, doesn't mean I have to lose you, does it? Because I still want you." She picked up his hands. "Please babe, say you'll still love me."  
  
"Rosa, I can't help but love you. I'll never stop loving you," he said softly, as she leaned forwards, putting her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Excellent," Adam praised them once Jesse, Emma and Shalimar had told him all the information they had gathered from the St. Martin's Street warehouse. "At least we now know where the weaknesses are in their defences. Well done."  
  
"What about the antidote?" asked Emma.  
  
"Good news on that front," Adam smiled. "I think I've nearly got it. The only problem is, I won't know whether it'll work properly until we test it on Rosalie."  
  
"What about Brennan?" asked Jesse. "He won't be under that spell will he?"  
  
"No, Rosalie is the only one with the Firefly memories. We just have to hope Brennan realises that he cannot trust her when she's in this state."  
  
Shalimar frowned at Adam. "Trust her? How different can she be?"  
  
"I don't know exactly how extensive the effects are, but if my information is correct, Firefly is extremely manipulative and highly dangerous. Rosalie may not be able to control her."  
  
"Do you think Bren's in danger?" Jesse asked worriedly.  
  
Adam paused. He didn't want to scare the others unnecessarily, but in the other hand, they should know exactly what they were going to be up against. "There is definitely a danger that Brennan could get hurt," he told them finally.  
  
"Then we have to act quickly," Shalimar stated. "If Firefly is a manipulative bitch, then Bren will be easily taken in by her. After all, he's not going to want to accept that she's not the same person," Shal carried on. "You know how stubborn he can get."  
  
"I agree," Adam replied. "I suggest we go in tonight, under cover of darkness. In the meantime, we've got to find out all I can about Firefly," he said tapping the computer in front of him. The image of a woman came up on the screen.  
  
"How's it going Adam?" she asked him. "Any further developments?"  
  
"I'm afraid so. I have information that she has discovered Firefly now. I don't know exactly what's going on inside the warehouse, but I know we have to move quickly before she gets it into her head to get rid of the last obstacle in her path."  
  
"You really think she's that far gone that she'll kill her own lover?" she asked.  
  
"If she has embraced Firefly, and she realises the potential danger in keeping him alive, yes I do."  
  
There was a pause as the woman raised her hand to her mouth as she thought. "There IS something I can do to help," she said finally.  
  
"I thought you said you couldn't spare any resources," Adam asked her.  
  
"I can't. But I happen to have information about a certain mutant who knows a lot more than he's letting on. If you can get to him and convince him to help you, you'd be in a better position to make a strike on the sect."  
  
Adam nodded encouragingly, as she continued. "His name is James Miller. A molecular impervious, although I think he may be keeping more developed powers from all of us."  
  
Adam nodded again, searching his own database for the mutant. "Thanks, Lynne. I'll keep you updated."  
  
"And Adam," she interrupted him as he was about to break the link. He looked up at her. "Take care."  
  
He allowed a smile to play across his face.  
  
"I will."  
  
The others looked at each other with a smile. So Adam had a past then! What was all that about?  
  
"Right, I've found information about the mutant called James Miller," Adam told the team. "If he does in fact have knowledge concerning the Firefly sect, we must find him and convince him to tell us all he knows before we strike tonight. We haven't got much time for this, so I want you all to go."  
  
They nodded resolutely. "Got a lock on him yet?" Jesse asked.  
  
"Yes, he is currently at the junction of Bond Street and Firehouse Lane," he replied as he brought up an image of the male mutant. Emma gasped in shock.  
  
"That's him Adam!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Who?" demanded Shalimar, intrigued.  
  
"That's the guy at Creation, the molecular with the power of invisibility." Shal and Jesse looked blankly at Emma. "The one who knew about Rosa and Firefly," she explained for their benefit.  
  
"But I thought he was one of THEM," said Jesse.  
  
"Whatever he is, he holds the key to what's going on inside that warehouse," interrupted Adam. "Fire up the Double Helix Jesse, the girls will join you in a minute." Jesse ran off. "Keep your wits about you," Adam warned the two girls. "Whether he is part of the sect, or a concerned bystander with valuable information, he's a unknown factor in this equation, and we need what's in his head."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
OK, this is where you guys come in. I seriously need some feedback. What do you think about Firefly/Rosalie? Has she changed into Firefly? Is Adam being too careful and paranoid? Is Firefly being as manipulative as everyone thinks or can Rosalie control her? How has she come across? I just want to see if my portrayal of Rosalie/Firefly has worked as I wanted it to. 


	17. A matter of trust

Disclaimer: Only Rosa, Misha and the whole Firefly thing are mine. I won't even pretend to lay claim to any of the others.  
  
Happy Christmas everyone! And now, back to the story...  
  
Chapter 17: A matter of trust.  
  
She lay on her bed as a girl brushed her hair, weaving in more strands of gold. She had sent Brennan off to a room she had demanded be prepared for him, just next to her own room. He had looked exhausted, and after his revelation about his feelings for her, she decided she could trust him to rest alone in his room. There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Enter Ahriman," she called. The door opened and the Chief Preacher entered, wondering how it was she knew it was him at the door. She smiled at his confusion. "What is it?" she asked, irritated at the interruption.  
  
"Highness, I wonder, could I have a word?" he asked, bowing low.  
  
"You already have. More than one word, in fact," she replied, amused at her little joke. "I suppose I have to listen to the rest of it too. Go ahead."  
  
"Highness, far be it for me to call your judgement into question," he paled as she shot him a glare. "I only fear for your safety."  
  
"Continue," she sighed.  
  
"We have had reports from the guards about unwanted visitors. They have seen other members of Mutant X prowling around. I wondered what you suggest we do next time they appear here."  
  
"Did they attempt to enter the Core?"  
  
"No Mistress, they simply watched, then circled the warehouse and left."  
  
She thought for a moment. They were probably checking the area out for a possible attack in the future. "Alert me immediately the next time they come round," she decided, waving him away.  
  
She stared at him when he didn't leave. "Was there something else?" she asked pointedly.  
  
"Forgive me, Noble One, for my impertinence, but I simply wish to protect you from any problems which may arise."  
  
"Yes, yes," she said impatiently. "What else is there?"  
  
He hesitated, knowing what he was about to say would not sit well with her. "It's about the small matter of the traitor."  
  
"What about him?" she demanded, her attention focused now.  
  
"I worry about his intentions. It would be much safer if we were allowed to put him through the Elimination ritual."  
  
Her eyes glowed angrily. "That matter is not open for discussion. He stays, and no one is to harm him further. Is that understood?"  
  
"But, Highness."  
  
He didn't get to finish his sentence. She raised her hand and shot a ball of crackling fire towards him. He screamed in pain as he went up in smoke. "NO ONE contradicts me, is that clear?" she stormed as she stood. She watched his body crumble to dust as several preachers came running into the room, alerted by the commotion.  
  
"Let that be a lesson to you all," she proclaimed as they stared at the pile of dust in disbelief. "I will not tolerate being contradicted."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Jesse landed the Double Helix in a quiet back lane and they all got out. "Adam, where is he now?" Jesse asked over the comring.  
  
"About 100 metres southwest from where you are now. Go along Bond Street then turn right."  
  
The team started moving along Bond Street, wondering how on earth they were going to get him if he decided to turn invisible. As they turned right as per Adam's directions, Emma saw the now familiar mutant walking purposefully down the street in front of them. She gently probed his thoughts, but she could feel no anxiety, no fear, no anger, nothing but a calm purposeful mind.  
  
"There," she warned the others. Shalimar crept towards the left, aiming to come up in front of him as Emma prepared to mind blast the man before he had a chance to do anything about it. Jesse nodded to Emma once he saw Shal in place, and she sent the blast towards him. As it hit him, he fell to the floor paralysed, and Shal pounced, pinning him to the floor.  
  
"You, my friend, are gonna tell us everything we want to know," she snarled at him.  
  
Before Emma and Jesse had a chance to reach them, the man turned invisible. Shal stared around her, surprised, but she had been briefed about this, and refused to let go of the invisible arms. *I seriously hope this guy's not intangible as well,*she thought to herself, but although he continued to struggle, he couldn't release himself from the feral's grasp.  
  
"Come on Emma, do your stuff," she complained as Emma approached. As the psionic neared, she shot another, more forceful blast into the mutant's mind, and he reappeared, unconscious.  
  
"Got him, Adam," Emma called over the comring.  
  
"Excellent work, guys. Now bring him back here, we've got no time to waste."  
  
"James Miller," Adam called to the unconscious mutant lying on the med bed. "I know you can hear me. Open your eyes, we need to talk."  
  
The mutant opened his eyes. "What do you want with me?" he spat.  
  
"You nearly put on of my team in hospital not so long ago," he said to him.  
  
"It was her own fault for getting involved," he replied. "Firefly should have known not to bring anyone else into this."  
  
"What do you know about Firefly?" Adam demanded.  
  
"I know enough not to get involved."  
  
"It's too late to stay out of it now. You lured Rosalie into the sect's grasp."  
  
"I did no such thing. I was aware that someone had been taken captive and I wanted to help. She was the only one who would have been able to get him out."  
  
"Help us now and tell me what you know. Any information will be useful to us."  
  
"Why should I help you?" she asked with a sneer.  
  
"Why did you want to help Rosalie?" he returned. James remained silent. Adam turned to Emma and nodded, giving her the signal to place safe, cooperative thoughts into James' mind.  
  
James looked at Adam. "I wanted to help the elemental," he replied.  
  
"Brennan?" Emma exclaimed.  
  
"Why? What did you know about him?" Adam continued. James looked down at the floor, not saying a word. "Lynne told me about you. Told me you might be able to help," he said, trying a different tactic. "But there's no record of you or your mutant powers anywhere. What's the story there?"  
  
"Lynne doesn't know the half of it either," he replied. "Lynne thinks the world would be a better place if only people got on with each other," he sneered.  
  
"You don't trust anyone, do you?" Adam finally said.  
  
"Trust is overrated."  
  
The silence in the room was broken only by the bleeping of various machines.  
  
Finally James spoke again. "You probably know I'm a molecular."  
  
"Yes, with powers of invisibility and imperviousness," Adam finished.  
  
"Not many people know I also have the power to heal."  
  
Adam looked quizzically at James. "But I don't understand how the power to heal comes into all this," he said.  
  
"I take it you know the whole Firefly legend," he started. Adam nodded. "Well, there's a part of it that not many people know. In fact, only the highest Preachers in the sect, and myself know."  
  
"Hang on, how do you know all this if you're not a Preacher in the sect?" Adam asked, fearing the worst.  
  
"When Firefly was killed, part of her powers were transferred to the man who did the deed. This included her healing and rejuvenative powers." He paused.  
  
Emma stared at the mutant. "What exactly are you saying?" she asked urgently.  
  
"I got it all," he continued. "This rejuvenative power has kept me young for hundreds of years. I've been keeping an eye on the sect, and searching for signs of Firefly's return, because once she regains all her powers, she's practically impossible to overthrow."  
  
Adam and Emma were stunned into silence.  
  
"I killed her once, and I don't want to do it again. I'd rather stop her regaining power than go through the torture of killing her again."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
From the reviews people have left already, I get the impression that you wouldn't like it too much if I killed Brennan. What about Rosalie? What do you think about killing her? And is this story getting too long? 


	18. Communication

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.  
  
Author's Note: It's a long chapter this time, I don't know why. Maybe I've had a bit more time on my hands and I got carried away. In any case, here it is. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 18: Communication  
  
"Brennan, honey, come in," she called as she saw a shadow at the door. He strode in, not one hundred percent certain of her. "You feeling better"?  
  
"My ribs are still excruciating," he replied as he walked over to her.  
  
"Let me help you," she said as she raised her hands.  
  
Seeing this action, he flinched, remembering the fire she could shoot at will. She stopped, showed him her palms face upwards, and then placed them on his chest. He could feel warmth coming from her hands and radiating throughout his chest. The warmth targeted the painful points on his body, and soon they dissipated, leaving a feeling of relief and contentment.  
  
"Better?" she asked. He smiled, as she led him to the as she led him to the pile of cushions on the floor. "Don't tell me you don't trust me enough to sit with me," she exclaimed. "How can I prove to you that I'm the same person who kicked your ass so many times in the dojo?" she asked with a grin.  
  
He smiled back at her as he sat down on a large cushion. "You've gotta understand that all this is new to me, it's a strange situation."  
  
"I know, honey, it's just that nothing's changed in me. It's frustrating that I can't make you see that." She paused as she looked into his eyes. "I suppose it's a matter of time and patience. I'll wait however long it takes for you to understand."  
  
He raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "You mean so much to me." His hand dropped down onto the cushion. "But what's next for you? For us?"  
  
"Do we have to discuss this now?" she asked. "I'm not even sure myself. I know that these people expect certain things from me, but to be honest, I'm just not comfortable with their method of working."  
  
"Are you going to stay on with Mutant X?"  
  
"I don't see how I can. Not for the moment anyway. These people don't trust Mutant X. I've got to get their trust first, and show them that there are other ways of achieving what the original Firefly achieved." She cast her eyes downwards. "As for us, how are we going to handle this?"  
  
"I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep us together." She looked up at him with hope in her eyes.  
  
"Would you really do that for me?"  
  
"Any day of the week, babe," he replied as he stroked her hand.  
  
"So this is why I love you then," she whispered as she leaned towards him. As their lips met, their bodies melted together and he put his arms around her and stroked her neck.  
  
"What about Adam?" he murmured against her neck.  
  
She stopped, "What about Adam?" she asked.  
  
"I'm assuming that he and the rest of the team will be worried about us. We should get in contact and let them know we're OK."  
  
"You're right. I don't know what they've done with my comring. It's too much to hope that you've still got yours right?"  
  
He flashed the back of his hand at her. "They took it off me immediately. Does this place have any communication facilities?"  
  
"I don't actually know," she replied, a little put off that she didn't know a lot of things about this place. "There's no way we'll be able to convince them to let either of us out either."  
  
"Do you think we could get Emma to pick up our thoughts?" Brennan asked. "We have to try something."  
  
She racked her brain for some way to get a message to Mutant X. "I suppose it's worth a try," she eventually agreed.  
  
"Highness," came a voice from the doorway. Brennan pulled away from her. After all, he didn't want to get into more trouble by having his motives misunderstood by there guys.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, a tad irritably.  
  
"I humbly request your presence for the anointment of the new Chief Preacher," he announced.  
  
"I'll be on my way in a minute," she replied. "By the way," she called him back. "I need access to a communications system. I need you to tell me where it is."  
  
"But, only the highest Preachers are allowed to use it," he said, awed by her request.  
  
"Am I not ranked higher than any Preacher?" she asked, annoyed that he was putting up a fight. He bowed as he remembered the fate of the last Chief Preacher.  
  
"But of course, Highness. Shall I lead you to it now?"  
  
She nodded her assent and glanced at Brennan as she stood up. She lowered a hand to Bren, helping him up from the cushions.  
  
"Will the tr... will the m... will he be coming too?" the Preacher asked.  
  
"Yes," she stated, almost daring him to say otherwise. He nodded reluctantly before turning and leading the two mutants out of the room.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
She held his hand tightly as they followed the Preacher. Brennan understood that she had to hide her insecurities in front of these people, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly in return as they trailed through the long corridors.  
  
They reached the end of the corridor and started down some steps. It was a while before Bren realised that the concrete walls were being replaced by walls made of large slabs of pale coloured stone. The air became mustier and more humid, and the pale flickering from the flame torches hanging off the walls made everything spookier and more surreal, but still they carried on descending the stone steps.  
  
Finally they came to an opening in the wall, and they turned into it, entering a large, dark hall. She let go of his hand, raised a finger and sent a thin sliver of fire towards the nearest unlit torch, creating a cascade effect as every torch in the hall lit up. The orange light from the torches lit up the hall and glinted off the various pieces of electrical equipment. Brennan's eyes lit up as he saw the communications equipment.  
  
"You may leave us now," she spoke to the Preacher as he nervously backed away from her and out through the door. Brennan started forwards towards the communications devices in awe.  
  
"Do you realise how old these are?" he asked her whilst running his fingers lightly over them. "They're practically antiques."  
  
"I suppose they don't really use them much. Everything and everyone they need is within these walls," she shrugged.  
  
He tapped a couple of buttons lightly and the screen in front of him lit up. She smiled, "Brennan, the computer whiz," she said affectionately stroking his shoulder.  
  
He grinned in return. "Unfortunately, I gotta admit, Jesse's the guy you go to when you've got a problem with the electronics."  
  
"So can you get through to Sanctuary?"  
  
"Give me a minute," he muttered, deep in thought tapping various keys. "Got it."  
  
Adam's face came up on the screen. "Brennan! What's going on? Where are you? Have you seen Rosalie?"  
  
"Woah, Adam. How about a friendly hi first?" he joked. Then seeing Adam's worried face, continued, "I'm in the sect's headquarters, I'm OK now, and Rosalie is here with me." She leaned into focus so that Adam could see her too.  
  
"I've been trying to get through to either of you on your comrings."  
  
"They've been taken off us. I couldn't get them back," she supplied.  
  
"What exactly is happening over there?" Adam asked.  
  
"Rosa's been able to act as go between with these guys. I don't think they're that dangerous as long as Rosa can keep them calm."  
  
Adam looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Yes, I can," she replied to his unspoken question. "Indefinitely. And before you ask, I have remembered everything about Firefly. I also remember everything about Rosalie, which means I can merge the two successfully."  
  
"Rosa thinks we can work together, Mutant X and the Firefly sect. Only problem being she has to gain their trust first. That shouldn't be a problem, should it Adam?"  
  
"I don't see why," he replied. "It sounds like an excellent idea Rosa. Obviously you would have to stay on there for a while in order to sort out that side of things," he continued. "But as you know, we're always here for you."  
  
"Likewise," she answered him. "I'm sure we'll be able to work together."  
  
"In the meantime, it IS ok for me to stay here a while, isn't it?" Bren asked Adam.  
  
"Of course, as long as I have some way of communicating with you. I still need you as part of the team Brennan."  
  
"I think you'll find that Emma can communicate with me whenever she wants to," she answered for Bren. "My telepathic powers have increased recently, as have my healing powers."  
  
"That might be interesting to look into," Adam suggested.  
  
"NO," she interrupted, fear in her eyes. Brennan looked at her in surprise. "I. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with that just yet, Adam. I need a while to get used to myself again."  
  
"Understandable," Adam replied. "Then I'll let you know if you're needed, Brennan. And Rosalie, remember, whenever you need me, I'll always be there for you."  
  
"Thanks Adam," she nodded her understanding as the screen blinked off.  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Adam turned to James and the rest of the team.  
  
"What do you make of that," asked Jesse. "She seems OK to me."  
  
Adam exchanged a worried glance with James. "I don't think so Jesse. Didn't you notice anything strange about her? Anything not quite Rosalie?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Emma said softly. "You're right Adam, there's something not quite right about her. But couldn't that be due to her new memories about Firefly?"  
  
Adam looked at James for an answer.  
  
"I don't know what Rosalie was like before all this," James replied. "I didn't exactly get the chance to talk to her much. However, there is something about her which is definitely reminiscent of Firefly, and that isn't a good sign."  
  
"But if she's got Firefly's memories, of course there's going to be aspects of Firefly about her," Jesse argued, not willing to give up on his point of view.  
  
"What none of you understand is exactly how powerful Firefly is," James continued. "I can't ignore the fact that Firefly can manipulate anyone, absolutely anyone, no matter how strong they are mentally."  
  
"Are you saying that she's telepathic too?" questioned Emma.  
  
James nodded. "That's why she'll be able to contact you, and you her, whenever either of you wish. And therefore manipulate anyone she wants."  
  
"Hang on a minute," Shalimar interrupted. "We're all judging Firefly here. How about we assume just for one minute that Rosalie can remember Firefly's memories and,..... get this guys," she stopped theatrically, and a touch sarcastically, "can choose not to go along with Firefly's behaviour?"  
  
"I'm sorry to say that that option is highly unlikely," James answered. "Once Firefly's memories are reawakened, there's no way Rosalie can stop it taking over her whole mentality."  
  
"Remember what she did to you Emma, when you tried to find her telempathically," Adam said softly. He didn't want to believe Rosalie had gone bad any more than the rest of the team, neither did he want to burst their bubble that Rosalie hadn't been swamped by Firefly, but he and the others had to face the hard facts.  
  
Emma felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered what one of her best friends had done to her. She couldn't believe that Rosa would have done that under any other circumstances.  
  
"Maybe she just wasn't able to control her new power?" she asked softly, hardly wanting to hear the reality that it had been done to her purposefully. Jesse put his arm around her as he looked James straight in the eye and asked the question on everybody's minds.  
  
"So what do we do about it?"  
  
"Will we be able to get Rosa back?" Shal asked. Adam joined the others in staring at the newcomer, waiting for an answer.  
  
"Very well," he finally replied. "You can count on me for whatever information you need."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Not exactly one of my best chapters, but I had to set this all up for my next chapter. More suspense to come in chapter 19! 


	19. Keeping up appearances

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.  
  
Happy New Year everyone!! Here's another dose of double-standards Firefly to start it off, and the suspense I promised. :o)  
  
Chapter 19: Keeping up appearances.  
  
Brennan put his arm round her waist as they made their way back to her room. She had always had an almost photographic memory, so getting back the way they came was easy for her.  
  
"How come you can contact Emma?" he asked on their way back.  
  
"I don't know actually. Yesterday I suddenly felt she was in my mind, and I found that I had this new power as well." She lifted her head to look at him. "Do you know how disconcerting it is to find you have so many new powers?"  
  
"I can only imagine how difficult it must be. I was freaked enough with my one power," he replied. "You seem to be coping well though," he smiled.  
  
"I've got you," she whispered as she buried her head into his shoulder.  
  
They found their way back into her room and she flopped down onto the many cushions strewn around. He stood at her feet, looking down at her with a smile.  
  
"You know, the red silk and all that gold actually suit you."  
  
She smiled coyly at him. "Really? I only keep it on because I don't know what else to wear." She paused as she studied herself. "I suppose I also like the way it makes me feel."  
  
"And how's that?"  
  
"Like a princess," she replied, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks. He dropped to his knees and moved up until he was hovering over her. She looked into his eyes as he whispered,  
  
"You look beautiful." He lowered his head and brushed her lips with his own. Her hands crept up and stroked his back as the kiss became more passionate. Their tongues entwined, the sparks flew, and soon she was pulling at his t-shirt, trying to get it off. He pulled it off himself impatiently, then returned to untying the knot that held the material across her breasts.  
  
"We can't do this," she whispered, suddenly stopping.  
  
Brennan pulled himself away from her with difficulty. "Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"This doesn't feel right, Bren."  
  
"What's wrong, Rosa?" he repeated, increasingly perplexed.  
  
She sat up and pushed him away gently. "I'm not ready. Too much has happened within the past few days." She looked up at him in remorse. "Please say you understand."  
  
He swallowed as he took a deep breath to calm his emotions. "Of course, babe."  
  
"I just need some time."  
  
He smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about it. After all, we have all the time in the world," he joked feebly. He took one last look at her sitting among the disturbed cushions before he stroked her face gently and got to his feet, saying, "I'll be in my room, OK?"  
  
He dozed for only a couple of hours before he was woken by noises from Rosa's room. He was instantly alert and ready for action. Had they discovered Rosa's plans for them and retaliated? Were they torturing her? Had they pounced as she slept? A million and one thoughts ran through his mind as he raced the short distance between his room and hers. He crashed through the door, ready to face anything, fight anyone, but all he saw was Rosa and one other man. He was young, probably about 18 if he was any judge, Brennan thought he was the one who brought the food every mealtime. And he was lying naked on the bed, under Rosa. Brennan stopped dead as she turned to see what the noise had been. He was speechless as he took in the scene.  
  
She stood up, unashamed of her nakedness and walked towards him as the boy on the bed grabbed the covers over himself, embarrassed.  
  
"What's wrong Bren?" she asked, concern on her face. Still he could not speak. "What is it? Jealous that I couldn't face being intimate with you, but could with him?"  
  
"Why?" he managed to utter through the shock.  
  
She smiled seductively as she approached him. "A bit of fun?" she suggested. "Oh, don't get me wrong," she continued as she pressed her naked body against him and fondled his hair. "I still love you. I could never love anyone like I love you."  
  
"Then why are you doing this to me? To our relationship?"  
  
"Because I am Firefly," she stated boldly. "Fancy joining in? The least I could do after I woke you up," she offered as she nibbled his ear.  
  
He pushed her away, still staring at her in disbelief, then walked out of the room in a daze. She stood there for a second before she turned back to the bed decisively, pulling a length of red silk around her, toga- style, and following him, leaving behind a bemused and very naked young man.  
  
As she entered his room, she could see him sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. At the sound of her entry, he raised his head to look at her.  
  
She went over to him and sat beside him. Putting an arm around him, she said "Bren, I'm sorry if this has upset you, but some things have to be seen to be done."  
  
"Like sleeping with random men?" he spat at her.  
  
"If that's what it takes to keep up the image and the respect, then yes."  
  
"I'm not sure I can cope with this sort of relationship, Rosa," he continued.  
  
She sat back as she looked searchingly at him. "Are you sure? I certainly don't want to lose you Bren."  
  
He looked at her in disbelief. "How can I continue sharing you with other men, just for the sake of an image? I thought I meant more to you than that."  
  
As he spoke, he face went blank for a second. Slowly her eyes glowed as they focused and narrowed, and she frowned and whispered, "Get out of my head, Emma."  
  
"Rosa?" he said again hopefully.  
  
She studied his face for a while, then got up and made her way to the door. As she reached the doorway, she stopped and turned to look at him once more. "Bren, believe me, I really regret this, but if you're going to be this much trouble, I'm going to have to hand you over to the Preachers."  
  
He stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?"  
  
She simply walked out of the room as several men strode in, grabbed his arms and frog marched him out. As he passed her in the corridor, he yelled at her. "Rosa, why are you doing this? You said you loved me."  
  
"I always will," she whispered to him. She directed her attention to the Preachers. "Get him ready for Elimination this evening."  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
"Emma!" Jesse cried as he watched his girlfriend fall to the floor with an agonised expression. Adam and Jesse pulled her up and lay her on a bed.  
  
"Emma, speak to me. Open your eyes," Adam commanded.  
  
"Emma, come on. Wake up," Jesse yelled.  
  
Slowly, Emma opened her eyes and sat up, tears stinging her eyes.  
  
"What happened?" Adam demanded.  
  
"You're right, she's not Rosa any more," she whispered, trying to hold back the tears.  
  
"Did she get in contact with you?" James asked.  
  
Emma shook her head. "She said we could get in contact through me if we wanted to."  
  
"You didn't try to contact her, did you Emma? Not after I expressly told you not to?"  
  
Emma nodded miserably. "I thought it would be safe after she told us we could. I tried to find her mind, but all I found was Firefly. I tried to communicate, but she did it again. It's like she has me in a vice. It feels like she's squeezing and tearing apart my body and my mind."  
  
"We can't wait much longer Adam," Jesse told him.  
  
"You're right," Adam replied. "Right, Shal, you can lead us the safe way into the warehouse, Emma, you'll be telling us who's around and what kind of defences they've got up. Jesse, you'll be covering our backs, and James," he turned to him. "You can tell us the best way to take her down. I'll put the serum antidote into a dart and we'll go in this evening."  
  
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As always, please R&R. A big thank you to all of you who have been reviewing religiously throughout. You guys have kept me going. 


	20. The Elimination

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.  
  
Author's Note: Not a very long chapter this time, but it's got a lot of Brennan in it. Does that make up? :oD   
  
Chapter 20: The Elimination  
  
She strode into the central Elimination Hall, her red toga streaming behind her like a wake. The huddle of Preachers dispersed hurriedly as she entered.   
  
"Highness, it is most irregular to go ahead with an Elimination before the Anointment of the new Chief Preacher," a luckless preacher said.   
  
"Things are going to be different these days," she replied. "We do things my way, or you all feel the consequences." Her eyes glowed red. The atmosphere in the room changed to one of intense cooperation.   
  
"Certainly Wise One. How do you wish to proceed?"  
  
"Bring him in here. I want to talk to him before the ritual Elimination."   
  
As she finished her sentence, a beaten Brennan was dragged in by a couple of beefy guards and taken to the central pillar. The pillar was made of an unidentifiable metal, about a foot in diameter, and reached to the ceiling. At the bottom was a shallow pit filled with straw. On its side there were six metal rings driven deep into the pillar: two at floor level, two at waist level and two at head level. His feet were chained to the bottom two rings, and his hands to the top two rings. His head sagged onto his chest forlornly.   
  
"So, you resisted again, I take it?" she asked him.  
  
He raised his head slowly, showing the full extent of his beating injuries. His face was once again swollen and the skin around his eyes and mouth purple and cracked. Newly spilt blood caked his body in various places, and the way he held his body showed the presence of broken bones.   
  
"Cat got your tongue?" she teased. Still he didn't say a word. She paced towards him, stopping just in front of him. She grabbed his chin in her right hand and lifted his face towards hers, sparks pricking his broken skin painfully. "You just don't learn, do you? I told you I had to make certain changes within myself, but still you resisted." She dropped his chin, making his head thud back down on his chest. She heard his sharp intake of breath as he bit back the cry of pain. She paced round the pillar, contemplating her next move.   
  
"Well, you're in serious trouble now," she continued. "Mutant X won't be coming to fetch you, not after you contacted Adam and told him things were OK." She stopped just behind his left ear. "As for me," she whispered into his ear. "I just don't know what to do with you." She leaned back and continued her pacing. "You've put me in such a difficult position Bren." He winced as he heard her use the pet name his friends used for him.   
  
"So how come you're not using your powers to get you out of this mess?" she asked flippantly. "Oh, yes, the water," she smiled. "But you're not in water now Bren darling." She planted herself in front of him. "Come on, give it your best shot. I'm an open target."  
  
The only movement visible from him was a twitching of his fingers, but no energy flash. After a second his mouth moved. She moved in closer to his mouth.  
  
"What's that?"   
  
"You know I would never..." he managed to whisper.  
  
She moved back and laughed. "You would never what? Hurt me?" She snorted. "Face it Brennan, you can't. You haven't got the energy. Don't kid yourself about your intentions." After a thought, she raised her hands and aimed her palms towards him. "Let's put my theory to the test," she smiled. A gold shimmering light emanated from her palms, evaporating as it hit him gently on the chest.   
  
He took a deep breath. He expected the pain to have receded, like the last time she healed him, but he could still feel each pain as sharply as before, and winced as his broken ribs rubbed together.   
  
"No, honey, I haven't healed your wounds. I've just given you a bit more energy, so that you can try again," she said with a grin.   
  
He raised his head painfully, but could feel that she was right. He felt better, less exhausted. He summoned the electric energy to his fingertips as she steeled herself for a blast from him. She knew that whatever force he dealt her, she could withstand it and heal herself instantly, and so he didn't worry her. He used all his energy to form a substantial blast, and sent the crackles of energy towards his chains. As the energy dissipated and the smoke cleared, he sagged when he saw the chains still intact.   
  
She smiled at him. "Seems you were right. After all that and you still won't blast me?"  
  
He shook his head, "Never."  
  
She extended a finger and sent a thin sliver of fire towards him, hitting the centre of his chest. He flinched and tried to move out of the way of the stream, but to no avail. She redirected the sliver of energy to his broken ribs, causing him to writhe in pain, but still she didn't stop.   
  
"Why won't you retaliate Bren?" she asked him, getting more annoyed now. He didn't answer. She formed a stronger blast of fire and aimed it at the wounds on his legs and torso, but although he screamed out in pain, he still wouldn't summon the electric energy to his fingertips.   
  
A noise made her stop. She looked up at the balcony that surrounded the Hall high up near the ceiling, but there was nothing there. She motioned to a couple of guards to check it out, then returned her attention to Brennan.   
  
"Don't make me do this to you," she whispered to him.   
  
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he replied softly.   
  
"You don't understand," she continued. "I've told you before, we can't just carry on as we were. Some things are going to have to change."  
  
"Yeah, like you sleeping around like some sort of glorified prostitute," he replied harshly.   
  
Her eyes glowed as her anger escalated. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she spat at him as she turned and walked away from him. She reached the platform that had been erected in the centre of the Hall some distance away from the pillar, and turned to face the audience that had gathered.   
  
"Let the Ritual begin," she pronounced. The crowd dispersed and gathered again behind her as two Preachers stood in front of her. She nodded to one, who then made his way towards Brennan and made sure he was securely bound. The other offered her a gold sceptre studded with rubies which she took with both hands. She held it up in front of her and paused as the Preacher spoke.   
  
"Brennan Mulwray, traitor and unbeliever. You are to undergo the Elimination Ritual for your actions. According to the Wise One, you shall remain conscious throughout in an attempt to allow you to repent. May the spirits have mercy on your soul."  
  
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And I leave you with that. Will they get there in time or won't they? Aha! Only I know what I'm planning! R&R anyway, even if it's just to tell me how much you hate me for writing all these cliffhangers! 


	21. James confronts Firefly

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.  
  
Author's Note: As always * * denotes thoughts and ~~ ~~ denotes visions. I've also got to say a special thank you to Feral Shock who has been reviewing from day one, literally, as you were my very first reviewer! Thankyouuuuuuu!! :oD  
  
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Chapter 21: James confronts Firefly  
  
As she raised the sceptre to her eye-level, a stream of fire leapt from the tip and ignited the straw in the pit. It caught light at the same instant that she heard a crash coming from the balcony. Her part in the ritual over, she looked up, ready to send the perpetrator of the interruption to the same fate as her lover. She caught sight of something small and green spinning towards her, and before she could stop it, it penetrated the skin on her thigh and ejected its contents into her body. She yanked it out irritably.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" she yelled as she looked up again and saw Adam being restrained by two of her guards.  
  
"Highness, this man is in possession of some sort of weapon," a guard informed her.  
  
"Bring him down here," she ordered.  
  
"Not if I have anything to do with it," came Jesse's voice from the opposite end of the balcony. As she and the crowd looked around, the remaining members of Mutant X sprang up from various points around the Hall. Pandemonium broke loose as guards confronted the mutants.  
  
She saw Shalimar creeping up behind her, but she could deal with Shalimar in a second. She spread her arms and created a wall of fire completely circling the feral, trapping her and making her cower in fear.  
  
Brennan wasn't a problem as he was still bound to the pillar. The fire was starting to reach his feet and she could feel the fear and pain in his mind as she scanned the area mentally for the other mutants. Now there were only Emma and Jesse to deal with.  
  
She looked around, ready to face whatever the two remaining mutants had to throw at her. She could cope with anything they had thought up. She watched Jesse battling with guards, massing and phasing out at will, easily dodging the punches and kicks the guards threw at him, and throwing a few lethal ones of his own. Suddenly, she felt Emma's presence in her mind. She clutched at it with all her energy and squeezed. She turned in time to see Emma fall to the ground screaming and holding her head in both hands.  
  
"That'll teach you to mess with my mind, you little worm," she spat at the writhing psionic. With one last mental punch, she overloaded Emma's mind and sent her across the Hall, smashing her into a wall, and left her lying unconscious on the stone floor.  
  
She surveyed the action in the Hall with satisfaction. She may be the one who had to deal with the most difficult mutants, but her guards were holing Jesse back magnificently. He was the only one left now, she thought with glee.  
  
As she turned to go deal with Jesse finally, a blur of movement caught her eye. As she followed it trying to identify it, she suddenly saw his mind.  
  
"James," she said softly. The figure slowed down, his face becoming clearer. "James Miller," she said more loudly now. He stopped a little way away from her.  
  
"This has got to stop, Firefly," he said to her from across the Hall. Somehow, with all the noise and the fighting, they could hear each other's words perfectly.  
  
~~ "This has got to stop, Firefly. You've done enough damage. I don't want to do this. Please, just tell me you'll stop these massacres." ~~  
  
She felt a streak of anger rush through her veins and raised her hands, sending a fatal streak of fire towards him. He massed in time and dispersed the fire bolt.  
  
"Don't make me do this a second time, Firefly," he said sorrowfully as he continued his walk towards her.  
  
~~ She watched him walk towards her, her bolts of fire not slowing him, nor leaving a mark on him when he remained massed. ~~  
  
"You fool. You don't realise the harm you did to the people when you killed me," she hissed, eyes glowing red.  
  
"You did much more harm when you were alive. You should never have come back."  
  
~~ He continued closing the space between them. He had his sword unsheathed in his right hand. ~~  
  
"They still want me. They'll kill you before they let you harm me."  
  
"True, but they seem to be a little busy with Mutant X."  
  
"One last member of Mutant X," she laughed at him as she waved her arm around the Hall, showing the various team members strewn around unconscious.  
  
~~ Oblivious to her screams for her guards, he swung the sword and it sliced through her neck, silencing her forever. ~~  
  
"And how long do you think HE's going to last?"  
  
He paused in front of her, still massed. "Long enough for me to do what I have to," he said softly. He paused one last time. "Don't make me do this again, please," he pleaded with her.  
  
~~ As her head thudded onto the ground, he dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face and sobs racking his muscular frame. ~~  
  
Her face softened. "What am I going to do if I don't do this? I don't know how to be any other way," she replied.  
  
He held out a hand to her. "I can help you, Mutant X can help you. All you have to do is accept that help." She hesitated as he carried on speaking. "Adam can help you put Firefly out of your mind again once and for all."  
  
That seemed to do the trick, and she held out her hand to take his, a tear rolling slowly down her cheek. The second their fingers touched, he unmassed, she raised her other hand, and his face froze in an expression of shock as her fire blast hit him. He was sent flying backwards into the stone wall and disintegrated into a pile of smoking dust almost instantaneously.  
  
"That's the last time you ever get the better of me," she sneered triumphantly at his remains.  
  
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"Adam," Jesse cried out in between dodging and punching. "Why hasn't the serum antidote worked?"  
  
Adam struggled out of the guards' grip, but he wasn't strong enough. "I don't know Jesse," he confessed softly to himself. He had put the whole Mutant X team in jeopardy. Shalimar was a gibbering wreck, fear of the fire wall having taken control of her brain, Emma was unconscious, maybe permanently damaged by Firefly's telepathic torture, Brennan was about to die in the flames, and Jesse was only just holding on. Soon Jesse too would be overcome by guards, and then it was anyone's guess what Firefly would do with the surviving members of the team.  
  
Adam had watched the exchange between Firefly and James Millar with interest. It had been awful watching James letting his guard down at the last moment. He should have known better than anybody how Firefly's manipulative mind worked, but maybe he would have had a better chance of getting into her mind if only his antidote had worked better.  
  
He hung his head in defeat, not wanting to watch Jesse being kicked and punched repeatedly. He knew that at some point Jesse wouldn't be able to keep up with so many guards attacking him, and he would fail to phase out or mass in time. He felt completely useless.  
  
Meanwhile, she was feeling a little strange, light headed. It was probably the serum contained in the dart, she thought. Maybe a little disorientation was the extent of the effect. She shook her head and surveyed the scene once again. The fire wall she had created around the feral was still holding. The flames at Brennan's feet were creeping up towards his shins as he screwed his eyes shut and tried not to think about the pain that was about to envelope him.  
  
Her eyes alighted upon Emma and she smiled. Serves the little psionic right for going through her thoughts. She only got what she deserved. She could tell that Emma was just about alive; her breathing was shallow and hampered by broken ribs sustained by the impact against the wall, but she would die soon enough. There was no need to expend any more energy in finishing her off herself.  
  
Adam himself was being held firmly by her guards, and she could see that Jesse was fighting a losing battle. She would decide what to do with those two in due course. She turned her gaze to the mound of smoking ashes that was James. She regretted doing what she did, but it was a necessity. She hadn't realised that he was still around or else she would have been on her guard.  
  
She smiled, knowing there was nothing anyone could do to stop her now. Despite the unexpectedness of the ambush, things were going her way.  
  
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How much do you hate Firefly now? Oh, how I love creating evil characters. The only thing I love more is reading reviews, so keep 'em coming! 


	22. Firefly Vs Rosalie

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.  
  
Author's Note: Me? Love cliffhangers?? Oh yeah baby!!! And here's another one! Well, the end of the story is fast approaching, so I feel the need for a quick reminder coming on,...  
  
In short, Brennan is shackled to a pillar and about to be burnt, Emma is lying half dead after being knocked out by Firefly's telepathic force, Shalimar is a gibbering wreck surrounded by a wall of flames, Jesse is fighting a loosing battle against the guards and Adam is being held captive by some other guards.  
  
She smiled, knowing there was nothing anyone could do to stop her now. Despite the unexpectedness of the ambush, things were going her way.  
  
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Chapter 22: Firefly Vs Rosalie  
  
A pain speared her head and she frowned, holding her hand to her forehead. She initiated her self-healing powers but it didn't help. She frowned harder. Something was wrong. She could always heal anything that was wrong with her. A little headache should present no problems.  
  
Suddenly, the pain increased. It felt as if there was a raging fire inside her head, and she fell to her knees clutching her hair. She opened her eyes momentarily to look around. She didn't want to risk looking vulnerable in front of her Preachers, guards, and the mutant team. No one had noticed anything wrong with her; they were too involved in the battle Jesse was fighting.  
  
The pain continued increasing until she thought she couldn't take any more. She looked up at Emma, wondering whether the girl had woken and was doing this to her, but she was still unconscious.  
  
Her gaze met Brennan's as she wondered whether something about his feelings had been transferred to her, but he was looking more concerned for her rather than for himself. She screamed audibly as she pulled at her hair in terror. What was going on? She fell to the floor as the world went black.  
  
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The sounds of fighting were silenced as she opened her eyes. Blackness surrounded her. She was no longer in the Elimination Hall but at least the pain in her head had gone.  
  
"Is there anyone there?" she called out. Her own voice echoed back at her. As she strained her eyes trying to see something in the blackness, a dim red sphere lit up in front of her.  
  
"Yes," came a female voice.  
  
"Who are you?" she questioned, squinting to see into the dark distance. As the red glow became brighter, she realised she was looking into a mirror. She moved her hand out to touch her reflection, but the image remained still.  
  
"I am Rosalie," came the female voice again as the lips of her image moved in sync with the voice.  
  
"You can't be Rosalie, I am," she argued. The image remained still.  
  
"This has come to an end," the image said as the red glow the image held in her hand started getting brighter. The sphere increased in size until it was large enough to surround a person, then stopped. She could feel the heat radiating off it as the ball of heat came towards her. As it touched her skin, she shrieked in pain. She looked down to see her skin blistering.  
  
"What's going on?" she screamed.  
  
"This is the only way of eradicating you from Rosalie's mind forever," came the voice. "It has to be done."  
  
The glowing ball continued to advance, enveloping her completely within itself. The pain from the heat was somewhat alleviated as long as she didn't touch the edge of the sphere, but as she looked around to find the image, the ball began to contract. As the edges came nearer, they came in contact with her skin, blistering it and making her scream in pain.  
  
The ball continued getting smaller and smaller until she could hardly feel her body any more from the pain. She let out one last shriek of pain as she blacked out.  
  
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Adam looked on as he watched Firefly fall unconscious to the floor. She writhed around in pain for what seemed like an eternity in Adam's mind. After only a few minutes, she got up, looking more composed now, if slightly dazed, and raised her hand to aim at Jesse.  
  
"Jesse, look out!" he yelled at him. Jesse looked away from the guards he was fighting, his attention diverted by Adam's shout. Adam watched as if in slow motion as one guard took advantage of his opponent's decreased concentration, and swung a leg out, aiming to connect with Jesse's head. A stream of nearly white fire streaked across the hall towards the huddle of fighting bodies and her voice rang out, piercing the atmosphere like a hot knife through butter.  
  
"Enough!"  
  
The blast diverged into four streams and floored the four guards Jesse was fighting just as the kick was about to connect. Adam turned to watch her as she then transferred her attention to the guards holding down Adam.  
  
Again, the stream of pure energy sprang from her fingertips, hitting both guards and freeing Adam. He immediately ran towards Brennan and unchained his arms and legs. Jesse ran towards the unconscious Emma as Rosalie waved her hands in the air and dispersed the fire surrounding Shalimar. Shalimar ran into Adam's arms, and they made their way to see Emma.  
  
"Rosalie," Adam called out. "Can you bring Emma back?" Rosalie went over to the group, fearing the worst. As she approached the psionic's inert form, she gasped, horrified at how she had nearly killed her best friend. She knelt at Emma's side and directed a stream of gold light towards her chest. As they watched the gold ripples diverge outwards through her body, a voice rang out from behind them.  
  
"Highness, we must accelerate the Elimination before these people affect your mind further."  
  
She turned to see a group of Preachers surrounding Brennan. One had the sceptre in his hand and was aiming it towards him.  
  
"May the wishes of the ever-wise and noble Firefly be forever obeyed!"  
  
He raised the sceptre above his head and a streak of flame erupted from its tip, hitting Brennan on the chest so forcefully that it pushed him back against the pillar. He gathered his remaining energy, although his body was a bag of excruciating pains, and prepared to aim a lethal dose of electricity. The Preacher in charge smiled enigmatically as he waved a hand towards the door.  
  
"Your power won't work, traitor. Not when Firefly herself has given us the key to neutralising you," he hissed at Brennan.  
  
Brennan ignored the little man and started shooting energy bursts towards the gathered Preachers. At once, a large pipe appeared from the high ceiling of the hall, directly above Brennan. Rosalie paled at the memory. If he were doused in water now, the enormous amounts of energy he was blasting would be enough to kill him when he electrocuted himself. She screamed as she ran towards Brennan.  
  
"Brennan, stop!" but he couldn't hear her through the ringing in his ears and the noise from the yelling Preachers. The water began pouring towards him as she racked her mind for how to stop this. She shot a stream of fire towards it in her panic, hoping it would do what she intended. As her fire met the torrent of water, it vaporised into steam in mid air.  
  
"How long can you keep that up?" called Adam. The guards weren't responding to her demands for them to stop, and the torrent kept on coming.  
  
She shot a glance at Bren who was now slumped at the foot of the pillar, completely exhausted. She had to do something, and she had to be quick about it.  
  
"Hang on to something," she yelled before she shut her eyes and summoned up all her spare reserves of energy. She could still feel the power flowing through her body as she attempted to channel it where she wanted it.  
  
A cone of fire appeared in the centre of the hall, revolving on its point. As she continued to direct all her energy to that point, it grew in size and spun more rapidly. Soon it had filled the hall and anyone not holding on to something was being sucked into its centre. Adam reached the unconscious Brennan in time and held them both to the pillar.  
  
Both Preachers and guards were swirling around inside the cone of fire, unable to control their movement around the Hall. As Rosalie concentrated harder and summoned up energy she didn't know she had, the cone began to close in on itself, trapping the people inside. Smaller and smaller it contracted, until the shrieks of the people enclosed inside it were silenced and the cone popped out of existence.  
  
As she opened her eyes, she noticed she was on all fours on the floor. Her teammates were strewn around the Hall, but there was no evidence of anyone else. She raised her head long enough to make sure Brennan was all right, and seeing Adam tending to his wounds she collapsed on the floor from sheer exhaustion.  
  
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I've really gone to town with this one! Brennan and Emma half dead, Shalimar emotionally scarred. Will I stop at nothing? Erm, nope! Enjoy! :o) 


	23. The nightmare comes true

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own any of the characters in the TV show. The others are mine.  
  
Author's Note: I know this chapter has turned out rather short, but I needed a filler chapter between Ch 22 and the final chapter. Hopefully it won't take too long before the final chapter is posted.  
  
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Chapter 23: The nightmare comes true  
  
Rosalie didn't know how long she had been unconscious. Strange dreams and images about Firefly taking over Mutant X and killing them all had been flitting through her mind, so when she finally woke up, she was relieved to find herself back at Sanctuary.  
  
She opened her eyes to find a pair of angry feral eyes and a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at her.  
  
"Shal, Jesse! Are you guys all right?" she asked breathlessly.  
  
"Adam, she's awake," called Jesse. Shalimar wouldn't take her eyes off Rosalie.  
  
"What are you?" hissed Shalimar.  
  
Rosalie furrowed her brow nervously and replied, "Shal, it's me. I'm so sorry for what I did, but you've got to believe it's me."  
  
Shal's eyes narrowed in an obvious sign of disbelief. "Then how do you explain the fact that it's barely been a day since you nearly died, yet you look like you've just gone down to the mall?"  
  
Adam turned up behind Shalimar and gently pushed her aside. "Let me scan her before accusations start flying," he chided her. Shal and Jesse reluctantly stepped away, still not letting the object of their hatred out of their line of sight.  
  
Rosalie took in her surroundings as the yellow light reached down from the ceiling and scanned her body. Shal and Jesse were obviously OK, Emma was by the console with Adam. Her heart missed a beat when she realised Brennan wasn't to be seen.  
  
"Where's Bren?" she asked nervously, not wanting to hear the answer.  
  
The stares of hatred coming from Shalimar and Jesse intensified, and she saw Emma flinch at her question. *Oh, God no,* she thought. *He can't be dead. He's not dead. Oh my God, I killed him.* Tears she just couldn't hold back began streaming silently down her cheeks, but as she raised a hand to wipe them away, she felt the cold, unyielding sensation of the restraints come into contact with her skin. *They still don't believe me, and probably never will. Just as well, as now that I've killed Brennan, I can't stay here anyway.*  
  
A small smile crept across Adam's face as he approached Rosa and released the restraints. Shal and Jesse looked intently at him for confirmation.  
  
"It's all right. Firefly's regenerative gifts seem to have transferred to Rosa. It's not Firefly."  
  
"What if she's trying to trick us again Adam?" asked Jesse.  
  
"Yeah, can you honestly trust her after what she did to Bren?" Shal asked, the hatred almost palpable in her voice.  
  
"There's no trace of Firefly in her mind," Emma confirmed as she approached the med bed.  
  
Rosa's hands came up to wipe the tears from her face as she asked the question again, needing to know now. "Adam, tell me, what's happened to Bren? What have I done to him?"  
  
Adam's face changed as he tried to compose himself to break the bad news. "Brennan sustained very severe injuries," he replied in a voice heavy with sorrow.  
  
Rosalie felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Although she knew it was an option that Brennan could be dead, it still came as a shock to hear the words. She sank down into the bed limply. She saw Shal turn away trying to hide the tears that were forming. No wonder Shal had been acting with such hatred towards her. Emma was still keeping her distance, as was Jesse, and Adam couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye.  
  
"You need to rest," he told her. "I'll come back to check on you in the morning. In the meantime, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me," he finished as he ushered the other members of Mutant X out in front of him.  
  
Rosalie lay on the bed, unmoving and destroyed by the news. If her experiences as Firefly had taught her anything, it was that Brennan was the first man to ever feel for her the same way she felt for him. He, who had promised never to hurt her, no matter how badly she had hurt him as Firefly, was now dead by her own hand.  
  
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Dun dun duuuuuuuun! I'll bet you didn't think I was THIS evil before! Well, if you know anything about me so far it's that there are always twists and turns, whether you expect them or not, so stay tuned and I'll put you out of your misery in the last chapter. As for reviewing, please continue, although I'm pretty certain all I'll be getting is hate mail for killing Bren! 


	24. Misunderstandings

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own any of the ones you recognise.  
  
Author's Note: I'm kind of sad to see this story come to an end, as it was my very first one and I've got rather attached to it, but it's time for it to finish now. Hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here goes nothing!  
  
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Chapter 24: Misunderstandings  
  
Rosa tossed and turned in her nightmare-ridden sleep. Images of a bloody, dead Brennan haunted her dreams as tears continued streaming down her face.  
  
She awoke with a start and sat up suddenly. There was someone near, she could feel it. A muted grunt caught her attention. She wiped her face of tears and determined to find the intruder. The least she could do was perform this final favour for the people who had taken her in, before she had killed one of their best friends.  
  
She crept silently out of the room she was currently in and peered down the corridors. The echo of the silence seemed to deafen her. As she stalked the area, her attention was drawn to a room off to her left. As her eyes g became accustomed to the darkness, she could see that the room was empty except for a bed in the centre. Curiosity getting the better of her, she entered the room. There seemed to be a body lying on the bed. Could this be where they were keeping Brennan's body? And what for?  
  
As she reached the bed, her heart seemed to contract as she saw it was in fact Brennan. She stood frozen to the spot, looking at his swollen features and watching his eyelids for any flicker of movement, knowing there would be none. As she stood staring at him, she caught a glimpse of his chest rising and falling. She turned her attention to his chest, searching for the same movement again, hoping she hadn't imagined it. There it was! He was alive!  
  
Elated by this discovery, she placed her hands on his chest, as if in a dream, and directed her healing energy towards him. As she watched his body for further signs of life, a hand gripped her shoulder and flung her to the floor.  
  
"Shal!" she cried. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I knew I didn't trust you," the feral spat back at her. "What are you trying to do? Finish him off?"  
  
"But, he's alive," Rosa tried to explain.  
  
"I know that, and I was right about you after all. Adam thought I was being paranoid when I told him I was going to keep watch over Brennan whilst you were still in Sanctuary."  
  
"But Adam said he had sustained severe injuries," spluttered Rosa.  
  
Shalimar's eyes flashed yellow as her rage escalated. "That doesn't mean that he's dead. And you knew that as well as I do. You were just trying to finish off the job you started earlier. Well, news flash, you're gonna have to come through me."  
  
Shalimar struck quickly and hard, slamming a heel against Rosa's head. Rosa scrambled up from the floor, still trying to explain, but she was silenced once again by the impact of Shal's fist against her jaw and another kick in her stomach. Shalimar's strikes were rapid, unyielding and very efficient, and soon, Rosa was lying on the floor. She raised a hand and shot a stream of fire towards Shalimar, but the feral was fresher than Rosa was and she stepped nimbly out of its way.  
  
"Shal," she called out, her voice merely a whisper now, as she tried to explain yet again.  
  
"Shal, what's going on?" came a groggy voice from behind them. Immediately, Shalimar froze and turned around. As Rosa looked up from her prone position, she saw that Brennan was sitting up dazedly in the bed.  
  
"Bren," she whispered. "You're OK."  
  
"Rosa?" he asked as he focused on the girl on the floor.  
  
"Don't believe it Bren. She's a manipulative, evil bitch. She was trying to kill you," Shalimar explained heatedly to Bren as she stepped between him and Rosa, prepared to defend him to the death.  
  
Tears coursed down Rosa's face as she sobbed with the relief that Brennan was alive, and partly with the thought that he was never going to forgive her or trust her again. She curled up instinctively into a ball on the floor, as much to try to stem the emotional hurt as the physical.  
  
"What's going on in here?" came Adam's voice from the doorway. Through her pain, Rosa saw Adam, Emma and Jesse standing in amazement at the door. Emma ran over to the console as Jesse and Adam approached Rosa cautiously.  
  
"Rosa, what's the matter? What's happened?" Adam asked a sobbing Rosalie as Jesse picked her up off the floor.  
  
Shalimar cowered next to Brennan as she slowly realised that she may have been wrong about Rosalie. She wasn't sure, but she had never seen such strength of emotion from Firefly, even when she had been lying to people. "It was me," she said. "I thought she was trying to kill Brennan."  
  
"Adam!" Emma called from the console. "I think you should come and see this."  
  
As Adam hurried over to her, Jesse put Rosa down on a bed, and held her hand reassuringly.  
  
"Brennan, you seem to be fully healed. How do you feel?" he asked the elemental.  
  
Bren stretched and walked around in amazement. "I feel great! What happened?"  
  
"She healed you," Shalimar explained sheepishly. "I didn't realise Rosa, sorry," she apologised meekly as she went over to her and stroked her arm. "Did I hurt you much?"  
  
"It's nothing I can't handle," Rosa whispered, trying to reassure Shal.  
  
Adam ushered Jesse, Shalimar and Emma out as he tended to Rosa's wounds, but Brennan insisted in staying.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Rosa sobbed. "I didn't mean... I never would..." Brennan held her hand as Adam fussed around her.  
  
"I understand Rosa," he whispered.  
  
"How can you?" she insisted. "I nearly killed you. I probably would have succeeded if the others hadn't come in when they did."  
  
He kissed her hand tenderly as he continued. "I think I know you well enough to understand what happened. Firefly was a terrible person. No one could have stopped her." He paused and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. "Rosa, I don't want to lose you."  
  
Fresh tears stung her eyes as she accepted this explanation gladly. She didn't want to lose him either, not after everything they had been through together. The relief flooded her body. It was the first time in her life that she could see a future for herself and now, all she needed was...  
  
"Rosa?" came a female voice from the door. Rosa turned her head and blinked as she saw a petite brunette standing there.  
  
This couldn't be happening. Life couldn't be turning out this perfectly. It was against everything she had ever come to believe. Was it Misha standing there, free from all brainwashing and all GSA influences? Misha approached the bed, raising a hand cautiously to greet her sister affectionately. A flash of silver caught Rosa's attention. Misha was wearing a comring.  
  
Rosa lay back as Adam tended to her injuries. She was finally free from Firefly, Brennan, the only man she'd ever love, had confirmed they had a future together, and her own sister who she'd thought she had lost to the GSA was part of the team. As her eyes closed peacefully, a rush of calm contentment spread through her body like honey.  
  
Things were looking up.  
  
THE END  
  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&  
  
Any ideas whether you'd like to see a sequel? Or is it just me who's become attached to Rosalie? 


End file.
